


Caged Bird

by Fishfootidentity



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Canon Divergent, Frina | Pinion, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 00:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16629374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishfootidentity/pseuds/Fishfootidentity
Summary: Alternate circumstances for Venom (2018).Two out of five symbiotes escaped Carlton Drake's crashed rocket in East Malaysia. He tracks one of them to a young woman with whom the symbiote manages to bond. While he hopes that finding one missing symbiote will lead him to the other, he did not foresee the escape of two more symbiotes from the Life Foundation labs.





	1. First Concealment

**Author's Note:**

> This fic mostly concerns self-insert human character and a fifth symbiote, but gives some characteristics to existing symbiotes as well (I use the names Lasher for Blue and Scream for Yellow). I kept wondering what they would be doing that leads them to being found by Drake's astronauts in the first place. I use hints I picked up from the movie to roughly construct their culture.

Some bad luck befell Riot at the last Leaders meeting. Whatever the reason was, he has been voted on by other Leaders to oversee a small batch of scouts for a quarter of a solar-cycle.

Lasher was not happy about it either; she was normally in charge of leading small scouting trips. Still, all five of them know Riot would rather lead a pack of hunters. Seeking is not as fulfilling as destroying.

Well, here they are, hopping from asteroid to asteroid, searching throughout systems for resource-rich planets, planets with life, planets with all the nutrients they can consume.

What a team they make. Lasher the dedicated scout, Scream the ambition-lacking slob, Venom the pathetic dreamer, Pinion the plucky dwarf, and Riot the devious team leader.

Of the four relatively low-ranked scouts, Pinion always made the fastest search, always traveled the farthest. Not because she wants to be recognized or rewarded; she wants to escape.

“Hey Beaky,” Venom called her.

She drew deeper into one cavity of a metal-rich asteroid.

“Hey,” he called out again. “Time’s up. Riot wants us back at the rendezvous point.”

Pinion slapped her viscous form against the wall. There is no prolonging this; she cannot escape.

“Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m coming, Tongue-Guy.”

He gave a low growl of irritation at that. When Pinion emerged to the surface, she drew herself to her full height. Her size and mass barely reach three quarters of Venom’s, and his size is considered average; as a team leader, Riot is far larger than either of them. Still, Venom knew better than to set off Pinion’s temper when she is like this.

“There you are. Did you find anything?” Riot demanded.

“No, sir,” Venom replied.

“No life,” Scream added.

“Metal,” Pinion said, almost inaudible.

“See, this is why we should’ve tried scouting the Seventh Cluster. There’s literally nothing to find in between the Second and Fifth Clusters,” Lasher pointed out.

Riot formed mallets on his hands, squaring up to face the blue symbiote.

“What are you implying, _scout_?” he growled.

Pinion sighed and turned away. More posturing and bullying, typical of team leaders.

“I’m _affirming_ that I’ve done scouting missions more frequently than you have. I know which sectors have life and which don’t.”

Ahh, Lasher. Self-righteous, always thinking of her fellow symbiotes’ survival. Pinion has stood at the sidelines long enough to know where this argument is going.

Pinion stalked away from the rendezvous point as if to head toward their ship and await further instructions, but glanced back. The argument has gotten to the point where Lasher is readying her shields.

This could be her chance.

While Venom and Scream watch the inevitable upcoming fight, Pinion could sneak away. Hop, keep hopping. Soaring, even.

* * *

 

“Where’d Beaky go?” Venom pointed out.

“Who?” Scream asked.

“You mean Pinion,” Lasher said, looking around.

Riot huffed in annoyance. “Get her back here, Venom. She’s about to relearn the penalty for desertion.”

At a threatening gesture from the silver team leader, Venom shot off in search for the troublesome purple symbiote. If he finds her, Riot will give her a beating she will never forget. But if he does not find her, Venom will be at the end of Riot’s weapons instead.

He gathered his resolve. Pinion brought this on herself. Pity and compassion are a waste of feelings in the brain.

Venom did not know Pinion closely, but he knew of her. He easily spotted her purple wings sailing through space. He does not call out this time; alerting her will just make her flee faster.

Venom jumped from asteroid to asteroid, catching up with Pinion. By the time she saw him, it was too late for her. With a well-timed leap, and while she was floating in free space, he knocked her and pinned her to the surface of a reddish space rock.

“Looks like I’ve got you _pinioned_ , wouldn’t you say, Beaky?”

As passive as he generally is, Venom still far outweighs Pinion, and there is no point for her to fight her way out of his grip.

“Just take me to Riot already. I’d rather endure his punishment than listen to more of your bad jokes.”

Venom chuckled. Though restraining Pinion is not really an additional burden to him, he still took his time getting them back to their scout ship. True to her word, Pinion did not wriggle or struggle. She did not speak either, which is typical of her.

This silence bristled at Venom. A captured deserter will at least beg for their life, show some fear. Pinion is… something else. Venom has already stopped asking her why she keeps running away.

In front of Riot, Venom shoved Pinion to the ground. Lasher and Scream remained at the periphery, though neither of them would attempt escape like Pinion did. Venom joined them.

He hoped nobody saw him flinch when Riot slammed a hand onto Pinion and picked her up roughly.

“Where did you think you’re going?” The team leader’s growl is low, masking a bubbling fury.

Pinion said nothing.

Taking it as defiance, Riot threw her against an outcropping of rock.

It was not the roughest punishment she has taken, but something made Pinion raise her head.

Riot smirked at finally getting a reaction from the wretch. His right limb formed a trident and stabbed Pinion, holding her against the rock.

She shut her eyes, sensing the thing come closer. Closer to where they are.

“Riot,” Lasher called out. She noticed it, too.

Riot followed her, Venom and Scream’s gaze.

“Is that a ship?” Scream asked.

“That’s not one of ours,” Lasher said with a chilling tone.

Riot had a decision to make. The ship is landing on the rock that is their rendezvous point, and he could just barely smell what’s piloting the ship.

Living beings. Delicious living beings with warm blood and nutrient-rich organs.

The scouting team cannot hide from the beings now. They have been seen.

‘Where there’s scouts, there will be hunters later.’

“Venom, Scream, hold Pinion in custody,” Riot commanded.

“Where are _you_ going?” Lasher demanded.

“We can’t let them find our ship,” was all Riot said.

He hurried to the team’s scout vessel, hoping he has enough time to activate the self-destruct sequence. After that, he will face those beings, let them capture the scouts and him. He will make them think he is weak.

But when the time is right, he will make his move.

“Riot! What do we do?” Scream cried out.

“Venom, pick Pinion up. Scream, stay close to me. We’re going to outrun them,” Lasher ordered.

Pinion felt herself held by Venom’s thick arms again.

“Hey Big Tongue, let go,” she said.

“Just hold on tight, Pinion.”

“No. Let them capture me. Then they won’t all be following you.”

“You’re weird, Beaky.”

Treaded vehicles are headed their way. Lasher led the symbiote scouts away, and they moved fast.

Then Riot crashed into their paths, arms surrounding the four of them as if for a team huddle-up.

“We’re not running. We’ll turn ourselves in and find their planet. Hide our intelligence from them. We’ll pretend to resist; make it look good,” Riot said.

He glared at Lasher, daring her to override his authority again.

As haughty as she is, Lasher is a good scout. If being captured meant finding a life-filled planet, so be it.

Scream is a coward, but he will listen to a leader.

It was a bad idea, but it was not Venom’s place to argue.

Riot drew closer to Pinion, staring her eye to eye. “You can fight.” It was not a direct order. It was a statement, a declaration.

Pinion motioned for Venom to put her down.

Riot grinned; the small symbiote may be undisciplined, but she is easy to read. Her small stature is exactly what drove her to be a ferocious warrior among fellow scouts.

“I’ll put up a fight.”

Silver fingers dug into Pinion’s shoulders. “Just don’t harm them… yet.”

* * *

 

The beings that surrounded them are even smaller than Pinion. They approach with caution.

The symbiotes stand their ground… until Scream skips away. Riot also moved as if to escape. Lasher only made a half-hearted attempt.

Pinion charged toward the vehicles. She is still injured, but on terrain - gravitationally anchored - she still outpaces Venom. He tries to keep up with her, moving to distract and confuse the beings.

While his subordinates held the creatures' attentions, Riot sneaks out of sight to see how he and his fellow symbiotes will supposedly be captured.

In transparent canisters, apparently.

Riot poked at one side of a canister. He shaped a hand into a vise and squeezed as hard as he can - he could not make a crack.

Maybe these creatures are not so primitive after all.

Scream is the first to be corralled, Lasher next. Pinion is slipping out of every trap the creatures tried to throw on her, and she tries to keep them off Venom as well.

There is not much time left; the beings will notice that Riot is missing.

The transparent part of the canisters might be virtually indestructible, but to contain the symbiotes, the canisters obviously must have mechanisms for opening and closing to let the symbiotes inside in the first place. Riot managed to tamper with five of the ten available containers' end-joints before slipping away and emerging back in the fray.

He evaded the traps long enough to be able to reach Pinion and Venom.

"That's enough. It's time to see where they'll take us," Riot told the scouts.

Once the beings have gathered the four symbiotes and their team leader in one spot, they used a similar transparent material to inhibit the symbiotes' movement. One by one, the creatures used some kind of suctioning device to force one symbiote into one container.

The most difficult ones to pull apart are Venom and Pinion.

The plan worked for Riot; he is in one of the sabotaged containers. On the other hand, none of the scouts have been placed in a sabotaged container... except for Pinion.

Whether Pinion is aware of the fault in her canister or not, she gave no indication of it. Either way, it's good that she's not acting without further orders as of yet.


	2. What Are Birds

It is difficult to keep track of time without the usual devices at hand. Riot made sure all their equipment is discarded back on the large asteroid where he marked the scouts' rendezvous point. He told his team to withhold signs of intelligence as much as possible before they can observe the same capabilities in the creatures that took them in their vessel.

In the long moments that passed, Riot deciphered the creatures' language. They call themselves humans and store information in the form of pictures, voices, and scratchy-looking scripts (mostly keyed onto screens, though occasionally Riot saw some of the humans scribbling on a thin material with a stick that produces pigment on one end).

Words and tones take time for Riot to learn, but body language is much easier to read. The humans are practically radiating relief when a blue-and-green planet lined with white streaks is visible from the ship's viewing area.

'That's their home,' Riot deduced. He is ready to put the next step of his plan into motion.

When none of the humans are watching the canisters (not that they felt the need to do it often), Riot anchored himself inside his prison, then struck at the vulnerable part of his canister with one limb. One end of the canister is now fully open, but Riot has a new problem.

Oxygen surrounds him; it seems the interior of the humans' spaceship is filled with the gas.

Riot did not have time to waste, to see if his scouts are awake and willing to go along with his plans. He needs to bond with a host that is capable of surviving in this environment.

One of the humans. Of course.

He moved as fast as he could through the ship, and chose a human sitting at the controls.

Unbeknownst to him, Pinion had indeed been awake. She paid attention to what happened, and can more or less predict what will be happening next.

Something happened at the control panels of the vessel. Loud noises are ringing all around, making Pinion and her fellow symbiotes flinch.

The ship is going to crash.

Pinion knows she and the scouts could survive the impact, but she couldn't say the same for the humans. If Riot has taken control of one of them, it is likely the host will at least be incapacitated by the crash as well.

She leaned against the wall of the canister. The one next to hers is holding Venom. In his tucked form, still bearing with the noise, Pinion doesn't think he can hear her.

While humans scrambled about and braced for the oncoming impact, Pinion pressed her head against her transparent canister's wall in Venom's direction.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be the friend you need,” she spoke.

* * *

 

Oxygen beats heavily down on Pinion when she breaks loose from her canister.

She understands Riot is willing to go to lengths and withstand such torture to get what he wants. As for Pinion, she is a death-defying sort, but that does not mean she should subject her fellow symbiote scouts to the same suffering.

She navigated her purple form out of the ship and looked for a living creature - anything that somehow manages to breathe in this environment.

Then she sees it, a creature she has only seen depicted on screens and in the minds of her old teachers.

A bird!

It is not very big; it has a black head and wings, a grey body, and yellow beak and legs. It was woken up by the nearby crash, but apparently it decided to stay close and investigate instead of run away like its brethren.

Pinion hauled herself up the side of living wood and lunged at the bird before it could fly away. She had no difficulty bringing her tiny host under control; though it had intelligence, its sentience is limited.

Glancing back at the crash site, Pinion whispered one last goodbye and took off flying westward. She didn't know why, but deep inside, she knows that's where she has to go.

Flying turned out to be more tiring than Pinion expected. Even though she foraged for (and sometimes stole) a lot of food, her host is dying quickly. She had no choice but to hop to another bird, and unfortunately, the one she can find is even smaller than her first host.

While Pinion travelled, however, she witnessed and took shelter from some loud flying machines. They appear large enough to carry several hundred humans at a time, though she has not seen any of them fly too far from the surface of the planet.

That's the transport she has to take, then.

She listened hard, paying attention to the announcements at the array of buildings from which the machines take off, where they land. Thanks to her current host's size, the humans who moved cuboid loads into the cargo compartment did not see her stow aboard. She rested as much as she could, and as soon as the compartment opens again, she flew out at top speed.

* * *

 

The blazing star close to the planet has been visible since Pinion took hold of her most recent host: a dark bird that could survive harsher conditions than most. So far, her instincts led her west from where the rocket crashed, but now that she feels she has gone far west enough, she is not sure what to do.

From where Pinion is perching, the star is on its way back down. At this time, her body is dying quickly. She looked around; most birds have already known about the purple plague that touches, lingers within, and kills their kind. No bird is within sight of Pinion.

“Oh hey, crow,” Pinion heard a human voice speak, more to herself than for Pinion to acknowledge.

Across the horizontally-wide lake, beyond some wiry metal fences, is a short human.

‘If I don’t get a durable host, I’ll die,’ Pinion thought.

Her instincts screamed at her. She took flight, gliding across the water, and landed gracefully atop one of the fence posts.

“Wow, I wish I could’ve recorded that,” the human continued. Judging by their figure, and based on the use of pronouns she heard back on the human spaceship, Pinion could assume the human is a ‘she’.

The human holds a small rectangular device before her, standing still. Pinion continued examining her. Despite her stature, she feels older than she looks.

Pinion let her eyes surface for a few seconds; she has made her decision.

The human lowered her device and put it away. “Uh, are you okay, birb?”

Pinion threw herself at the human’s neck. Her body permeated human skin, seeking around the human’s insides. Much roomier than the world’s existing flighted avians. Some chemical imbalance has left the human small, but she is the perfect size for Pinion. Her brain is filled with information and memories - those will be looked at later. Some excess fat, but bones are working, and muscles are good. Pinion can make do with this.

* * *

Frina leaned against her red Honda Jazz for support. She is still trying to grasp what the fuck happened.

A crow noticed her taking photographs and flew down to confront her, and after she took that last photo… what, the crow spat at her? No, crows don’t spit, none that she knew of. Did it regurgitate something?

Frina examined her hands, her clothes. Still clean, still dry - so what was that? Something overcame her, and now she doesn’t feel right. Sun too bright, atmosphere too hot and humid… Frina pushed those feelings aside and looked for the crow from earlier.

The bird has fallen forward from the fence, and it lay motionless across the concrete gutter from Frina.

“Did I just watch a crow die?” She blinked back tears.

‘Why are you leaking?’ a voice in her head asked her.

“Why not? I’m sad.”

‘Don’t be sad. It was already dying.’

“Well, that makes it even worse!” Frina paused. “What did it die of?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

‘Me.’

Something urged Frina to look at her reflection in her car’s window. Instead of her bespectacled self, she saw a purple creature with wings and a beak.

“Is this a hallucination?” Frina wondered.

No response.

“Okay, I’ve been depressed and anxious my whole life, and at one point I thought I was schizophrenic. Life’s been okay since I took meds and went on ketamine, so what the fuck - am I snapping now?” 

* * *

 

This human has always had a tenuous grip on reality, even when she’s in complete control of herself.

‘I’m no figment of your imagination, Frina.’

This time the human - Pinion’s new host - did not respond.

Pinion emerged from the human’s left forearm and materialized into the shape of the fallen crow.

Frina’s jaw dropped, her expression incredulous.

“Are you some bird spirit or ghost possessing me?” she asked.

Pinion nipped at her hair; the black strands are longer at the front, short at the back.

‘I’m quite - corporeal, was that the word? But you’re right about two things: I am avian, and I own you now.’

Pinion retreated into the flesh of her human host, who smirked in response.

“Good luck with that. My mom basically owns me.”

‘Oh yeah? Can your mom do this?’

Frina stopped in her tracks and lifted her arms to shoulder level beside her.

‘It’s like my brain has a mind of its own!’

The thing inside her is directing her muscles… and more than just her muscles. Frina could do nothing but watch as her arms get covered in bright purple ooze - and the purple goop seems to be forming feathers.

Now fully encased in the purple substance, Frina felt her knees buckle. She jumped twenty meters into the air, and at the summit, untucked her winged arms. Inside, Frina wanted to scream, but couldn’t move or say anything. The ooze possessing her did not have a specific flight path in mind, flapping and soaring, occasionally pushing off the side of a building to gain more height.

Sensing that the host recognizes a particular building - apparently it’s a residential apartment - Pinion followed the air currents leading there and landed on one of the roofs.

The purple being released Frina, and she scrambled away from the edge of the apartment building’s tiled roof.

“Son of a bitch! Alright, my mom can’t do that,” she exclaimed.

‘My name is Pinion. I come from another realm.’

The ooze shaped itself into a parrotlet, one foot perching on Frina’s shoulder and the other on her upper arm.

“Realm, huh? That’s a little vague.”

‘Not a single planet, like your kind.’

“Ah, yeah, but we humans are probably working on -”

Something clicked together in Frina’s mind. She reached into her handbag - which helpfully stayed on during Pinion’s controlled flight - and took out her handphone.

Her family members and peers have been talking incessantly about the rocket that crashed in East Malaysia, a rocket that belonged to…

“The Life Foundation.”

Pinion hissed and hid her face in the short hair at the middle-back of Frina’s head.

“It’s okay, birb,” Frina said automatically, moving to soothe Pinion with one hand.

“I’ve always rolled my eyes at rich guys tossing microwave ovens up into space to search for other life-forms, but…” Frina put her phone down and gazed at Pinion.

‘You’re one of those life-forms.’ The look in the human’s eyes said she understood.

“They took you. You didn’t come here willingly.”

‘My… teammates and I were on a scouting mission. Our team leader didn’t want our tech and home to be found out, so he destroyed our ship.’

“Smart move.”

‘Not necessarily good for you and your kind. He _wants_ to be captured.’

“So he sold y’all out? What a dick.”

‘It’s more than that. My species thrive on consuming other living beings. If he finds a way to bring my kind to your planet… you’ll be annihilated.’

Frina stored her phone in her bag and frowned into the distance.

“My best friend and I have this view that, if all humans died out, Earth would be better off. But you said ‘living beings’, so flora and fauna count.”

‘More fauna than flora.’

“That still means the organisms on Earth will all die out - possessed or eaten, whatever.”

Frina took a deep breath and sighed, lying back against the roof.

“I’ve felt powerless before. I accepted that humanity cannot stop climate change, and I was okay with our extinction. But this…”

‘I feel powerless, too. I’ve always run away. I don’t want to go home.’

Frina scooped the parrotlet in her hands. “I know exactly how you feel.”

Pinion looked at her host. She tapped into the human’s memories, and she can see what recently surfaced. Pain, hurt, crying, dreading captivity.

“But you have to go home, right? You have nowhere else to go,” Pinion stated.

“Yeah.” Frina zipped up her handbag and secured it to her person. She walked up to the edge of the roof, staring at the sheer drop.

‘I won’t let you die, Frina. Not yet.’

Pinion melted into her spine, and soon their joined body forms feathers again. They lightly hopped, and let the wind guide their direction.

Frina has to admit, she always wanted to go paragliding for real, feel what it’s like to soar through the skies.

‘You have a beautiful home,’ Pinion remarked.

‘The suburbs and cities are nothing. I should take you jungle-trekking,’ Frina replied.

Pinion read a little farther past the host’s mind-surface. ‘What is “high ropes”?’

‘Hah-haah.’

The united duo landed with a short run that ended next to Frina’s red car. She crouched as she returns to full human form.

“How about this, Pinion: I’ll keep you safe if you promise to also stay secret. I’ve read too many urban fantasy books to know that standing out is a bad idea.”

Pinion retreated within the human’s body.

‘You still stand out sometimes, right? Like when you talk to yourself or to birds? That’s something you can’t help doing, I’ve noticed.’

“Yeah, that’s the price of being neuroatypical. But I’ve coped by being sort of a professional weird person.”

‘Professional weird person…’ Pinion enunciated, tasting the words. ‘I like that.’

‘Why, thanks. I’m glad you do.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished writing a rough draft of the whole story. I'm just lightly editing and adding words before I put them up in chapters.


	3. Noise on the Radar

After the rocket crashed, Riot saw three of his underlings get loaded onto a secure vehicle with the Life Foundation insignia. He can find them later.

For now, one of his subordinates has escaped _again_. She is trouble, but that did not stop her from being useful. Like it or not, he needs her. He needs Pinion.

She travelled west, he found. She selected small flying creatures to be her host, which is just typical of her.

Riot has no trouble taking over humans. There are so many of these creatures. Plenty, rich, and disposable, for the most part. Ideally, he must find his ultimate host, he’s sure of that. But he will take his time and be patient.

From the knowledge he gleaned, taking over humans and making them read from electronic databases, there is a hidden Life Foundation subsidiary in this region. He can establish his base there, and maintain a lookout for Pinion from a distance.

Currently in the figure of an easily-ignored clerk, Riot does not look out of place sitting behind a computer, looking up some videos that have gone viral. A purple winged thing flew to an apartment building’s roof, then glided back down behind some cars… but the footage was cut there.

That’s a disappointment, but it told Riot something: Pinion has finally taken a human host, to reach such a size and be that agile.

“Hey Jimmy, you’d better tidy up. People from the Life Foundation HQ are coming over,” a self-important manager said to him. “And stop wasting your time watching videos.”

Through the clerk’s body, Riot glared at the manager.

The human seemed to want to say something, but thought against it.

Riot continued to play his part in the charade, organizing his - well, the clerk’s - desk space. He will have his time yet. He will have Pinion, her host, his other scouts, and _his_ very own perfect host.

* * *

 

Life is never easy for Carlton Drake. He’s always had to push himself hard, and now that he’s at the top, there’s still so much more to do.

The three symbiotes recovered are undergoing human symbiosis trials at the moment, but then the crash report indicated that a total of five out of ten available canisters had been tampered with. Maybe, in their excitement, the space crew neglected to inspect the canisters before placing the symbiotes in them. But how would the canisters have been damaged in the first place?

Someone sabotaged them. One of the symbiotes? He cannot rule out the possibility of their intelligence.

Prior to the crash, the crew logged five symbiotes in custody, identifying them by colour: black, blue, purple, yellow, and silver. The Life Foundation only managed to recover the black, blue, and yellow symbiotes.

Three symbiotes in the lab are not worth more than two of them running loose in Southeast Asia. No, Drake needs all of them. They arrived on Earth above _his_ rocket. They belong to him. He is to be the one who uncovers the secret of the stars, and he will succeed no matter what it takes.

Drake delegated the lab work to his senior scientists, and the subject recruitment legwork to Roland Treece. It did not feel right to abandon his domain when he is on the brink of making great discoveries, but he had no choice in the matter. One of the loose symbiotes is spotted in West Malaysia, looking quite alive.

‘It has found a host, perhaps!’ Drake thought in excitement. For now, he will use his diplomatic connections to command the country’s Special Branch, tell them to suppress news of that flying purple symbiote.

Drake made the necessary arrangements through his secretary and boarded the private jet bound for Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He brought with him some security personnel, some data analysts to track and predict the symbiote and host’s next moves, and a few scientists, including the enthusiastic Dr Marsail Beliveau, to personally assist him in scientific and other matters while they are in Malaysia.

* * *

 

Frina has a headache. Of course it’s inevitable that someone out there will get video footage of Pinion flying around.

“It was in our neighborhood!” her father exclaimed loudly. Frina doesn’t know why he always has to raise his voice like an excited child.

“That’s exactly where you parked, right?” Frina’s younger brother pointed out her red car.

She smiled wryly. “If there’s a giant bird in the neighborhood, I’m glad it didn’t poop on my windshield.”

‘I’ll poop on _you_.’

‘Hey, that’s what humans typically think regarding birds. To me, that’s natural. Y’all birbs are presh to me.’

‘... you’re sweet. I don’t know what to make of that.’

The small woman withdrew to her room after lunch.

There they go again, ugly noises from the house across the back alley. Rude, noisy neighbors with similarly uneducated young children.

‘We can eat them and be done with it.’

‘And here I thought you agreed to keep a low profile while you’re with me.’

‘You should do something. You know in your heart that they can’t do anything they just like.’

A shrill scream sounded from inside the back-alley house. A normal Western human would treat it as a kid having fun, but Frina - and now Pinion, too - only heard a degenerated ape or a mutated rat-pig thing.

‘Yeah, well - the last time I yelled at them, the abusive mom threatened to call the local police on me. She’s too shouty and deaf to even hear me telling her my name, which she asked for.’

Frina proceeded to sit at her PC. iTunes is open.

‘What are you doing?’

‘It’s daytime, so I have no right to shout at them for their noise. So instead I’ll drown them out with _preferred noise_.’

Inside, Frina could feel Pinion flinch. So before she double-clicked on a Metallica track, she lowered the volume to its minimum. As the song plays, she gradually turns it up, and then she found the right level where Pinion is not uncomfortable, yet still loud enough to mask the annoying neighbors’ sounds.

Pinion materialized as a sunbird, nesting in Frina’s hair. The human kept her rhythm-following head motions to a minimum.

‘You rise, you fall, you’re down and you rise again. What don’t kill ya make ya more strong,’ Pinion found herself singing along.

Frina nods joyfully. At some point, while browsing websites, she was able to softly whistle the melody of the song, matching every pitch almost perfectly, even at the part called the ‘solo’.

‘How do you memorize all these melodies?’

‘Hundreds of plays, my friend - both as input and output.’

Frina glanced at her Yamaha student flute.

‘Musical instrument,’ Pinion said. ‘You used to play it a lot. Why did you stop?’

‘... Many reasons. Right now, I don’t want to become the annoying neighbors that I detest. Even right now, my music is played at acceptable levels.’

Pinion hovered off and landed at the cloth carrier covering the flute case, connected to Frina by a slim purple tendril.

‘I want to hear you play it.’

‘Maybe not today.’

‘Why not?’

Frina sighed. ‘I’ve got to study for the Strategic Business Reporting Mock Exam this Saturday.’

She got up from the PC and sat on her bed. She did not have enough table space to even write on.

Pinion easily picked up her host’s boredom as she read about conceptual frameworks, exposure drafts, and elements of financial statements.

‘Why do you subject yourself to this crap?’ Pinion asked.

Frina pressed a few fingers to her forehead. ‘I need to study and pass exams so that I graduate with a good qualification. From there, I get a good, stable job - I hope - and maybe I finally leave this dump.’

‘Sheesh. This whole “money” thing is really pinning you down, huh?’

‘Yup. It runs every human’s life.’

After turning the pages to read other perspectives on the Exposure Draft, Frina closed her eyes and reminded herself of her life’s mission: to use her skills to power her passion. To combat environmental devastation however she can.

‘You have a lot of love for fauna. Even for those that many people call “ugly” or “scary”.’

‘Yes, I do.’

Frina tensed slightly in surprise; a pair of enormous condor wings are wrapped around her body. Pinion is hugging her. She leaned her head into Pinion’s.

‘Hey, Frina?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Whenever you hear someone telling you that you’re strong… believe them.’

‘Alright.’

* * *

 

A contingent of the Malaysian Special Branch aided the Life Foundation data specialists in tracking the host’s movements. They’ve had drones and street cameras watching; they’ve even mined her personal data.

She is a bit old to still be attending college, but she has an Arts degree, which is not worth much among better local employers (even if it was awarded by a prestigious Australian university).

When she walks fast in a nearby mall, purple ooze is sometimes visible on her socks and shoes. The symbiote is helping her, and she helps it in return, nourishing it with a diet that would have made her more overweight than she is now.

On his tablet, Drake swiped through the recent day’s gallery, a collection of the host girl going to class, eating lunch, hauling a backpack full of notes, driving home. On an older date, he can see that she doesn’t go out much, barely has a life of her own.

‘It must be boring to be a student. Why did the symbiote choose her as its host?’

One photograph showed the symbiote’s bird head extending its neck to steal a french fry.

‘Bird motif - the symbiote sees itself as a flying creature. Its host is basically a caged bird, whistling music and all.’

Drake has yet to fully understand the symbiote’s relationship with its host. But for now, he has a plan.

The girl is in search of better career prospects, dreaming of independence. She’s too smart to fall for blatant scams anymore, so a direct approach wouldn’t work.

Drake moved up a few folders and searched for the girl’s CV. Perhaps she will trust someone she put as her reference.

* * *

 

Tuesdays are Frina’s days to study Audit and Assurance. Thanks to ACCA’s new exam rules and restrictions, it turns out she cannot sit for the SBR paper (a Professional level exam) until she has passed AA (which is the last Applied Skills exam she has yet to overcome).

Pinion groaned. No amount of preferred melodic heavy metal can cure the symbiote’s boredom.

‘Shush, birb. I’m trying to read about audit planning.’

‘Okay. I’ve watched your years as an editor, and that job makes sense. But this? This shit is complicated!’

‘I know. That’s the reason people who understand this stuff are paid higher.’

Pinion whined, softer this time.

Somewhere after the second verse of “Like Light To Flies”, Frina’s phone rang.

“What the fuck!” she breathed out as Pinion exclaimed the same thing.

Frina paused her music and looked at who’s calling. It’s someone she hasn’t spoken to in a while.

She picked up. “Hello?”

“Hi Frina, this is Ashley Toh speaking.”

That's one of her former ACCA lecturers.

“Ah, Ms Toh, okay.”

“How have you been?”

“I’m okay, still studying part-time.”

“That’s good to hear. I just got a call from a talent agency asking about you.”

Frina frowned. “What?” She paused. “Why didn’t they contact me directly? They have my phone and email from my CV.” That is, if Frina did send it to them in the first place.

“Well, they informed me that their client is confidential, and they called me first to ask about your character,” Ashley explained.

“Ah. I see.”

“Don’t worry, I told them that you’re smart, hardworking, and determined. After all, you passed Performance Management on your first attempt.”

“Thanks. Well, they can see me for themselves.”

“Yeah, at the interview.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I’ll forward the details to you.”

“Okay…” Frina opened her inbox.

“Anyways, good luck at the interview.”

“Alright. Thanks for letting me know about this.”

After saying her goodbyes and putting the phone down, Frina sat at her PC with a small notebook and a pen.

“The interview is fucking tomorrow,” she exclaimed. There was a contact number and email address for the agent if she wishes to change the date and time of the interview. She definitely intends to do that.

‘Accounting student internship,’ Pinion read the position for which Frina will be interviewed.

Frina breathed deeply to calm herself, trying to word the email that will request to push the interview back to Thursday.

‘Hey, Frina?’

‘Yeah?’

‘I don’t think you need to worry so much or overthink this. It’s an internship position. We don’t even know if they’ll pay you,’ Pinion said.

Frina can feel her concern. She opened the job description attached as a word document, and…

‘Check that. RM1,000 to RM1,500 a month!’

‘It’s not much.’

‘It’s a lot more than the allowance my mom gives me. Plus, it’s an accounting work experience. This will look great on my CV.’

Frina can feel Pinion nod. ‘If it satisfies you, go for it.’

The human exhaled slowly. ‘I’m sorry if this will make you feel exposed.’

‘No, you don’t need to apologize. I’ve been - selfish, using you to free me from my old life. You deserve to be free from your old life, too. It’s only fair.’

Tears brimmed in Frina’s eyes. Pinion emerged in the form of a great grey owl, allowing her host to hug her.


	4. Entrapment

Drake watched from the security control room at Plaza 33, a complex spanning two office towers. The usual personnel have been cleared out thanks to the Special Branch officers assigned to this mission.

“Target is on site,” Captain Abdullah, more often called “Dollah”, said into his shoulder radio.

The red hatchback pulled into the visitor car park, searching for an empty spot. Its driver got out, carrying a cross-body handbag and a stuffy backpack. She is wearing a blue button-up shirt, black slacks, and a pair of heels she isn’t accustomed to walking in.

There was no sign of the symbiote, but Drake can see the girl’s lips moving. She could pass it off as talking to herself. Then again, there is a certain gracefulness to her motion, a little rhythm that suggests she hears a song that no one else does.

‘Patience. We’ll have her soon enough.’

* * *

A woman named Stacie received Frina at the lobby of Tower B. The guards signed her in and handed her a visitor tag.

“What do you carry in your backpack? It looks heavy,” Stacie commented.

“My certs are in a folder in there, but I carry a few books and some stationery. It’s still not as heavy as my SBR notes.”

“Ah, yes, you’re studying ACCA part-time.”

“Yup.”

‘Top floor, huh?’ Pinion asked.

‘IKR!!! That would’ve provided for amazing gliding if no one’s watching us. Sadly, Petaling Jaya is very highly populated.’

Stacie led Frina into the office of one Existech Sdn Bhd. Only one of the receptionist chairs is occupied, but something made Pinion hiss.

‘We shouldn’t be here.’

‘What? Why?’

‘That team leader I told you about. He’s nearby.’

“Miss Frina? Is something wrong?” Stacie asked.

“Oh, I’m just wondering where the bathroom is.”

‘Go there now,’ Pinion said after Stacie gave the directions.

‘I don’t have to go. Relax, Pinion - I thought _I_ was supposed to have the interview jitters. Heavens know that’s what drove me out of several potential job interviews in the past.’

‘I’m telling you, he’s here.’

Frina stood where Stacie left her, trusting that she did not have to wait long. The other woman has gone into a frosted-glass closed-door office to speak with whomever needed to be spoken to.

Pinion sighed. ‘Fucking fine, Frina, do what you want. Just at least keep your eyes peeled.’

‘You got it, Chief Birb.’

* * *

Soon Frina is ushered into a meeting room. Someone named Dr Beliveau - pronouns are “they” and “them”, Frina was told - invited her to sit down.

The interview went as Frina expected, discussing her previous work history and why she left, what she thinks she can contribute to this company, and where she sees herself in five years’ time.

“That’s after I’ve attained an ACCA qualification. I might start off working with an audit firm, but I personally hope I can work with an environmentally-conscious firm or company,” Frina said, hands and fingers moving as she spoke. She is doing better than when she was deep in depression.

Dr Beliveau met her eyes. “You’re passionate about nature and the environment?” they asked.

“Yes,” Frina said, nodding like a dove.

The doctor gave her a gentle smile. “That’s good. I think you’ll enjoy working with us.”

They passed Frina’s certificates and exam results back, and stood up. They walked around the table toward Frina to shake her hand.

“You’ve passed the first phase of the interview.”

“Really? I - thanks!”

“Yeah. So, my superior will be on his way to interview you shortly. Text me if you have any more questions.”

“I’ll do that, Dr Beliveau. And again, thanks.”

* * *

Drake instructed Dr Beliveau to retreat to the safehouse.

The girl, Frina, has not seen any cameras in the room. She took out an empty notebook, and a purple shadow formed on the current pages where her fingers are.

Drake smiled. She thinks the other employees cannot see. Well, they can’t, but he can.

“Secure the perimeter. Dollah, get your men into position at the office.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Special Branch team captain fell into step with Drake, relaying the orders, accompanying him to the top floor of Tower B.

“Come on la, macha. I just went outside to smoke. I need to go back in to work.”

Existech’s male receptionist is arguing with Dollah’s SB agents.

“Excuse me, sir,” Drake called out to the receptionist, “I think it’s best that you leave. It won’t be safe here for a while.”

The receptionist turned to Drake, unfazed by his appearance. He grinned, dark brown eyes turning silver for a few seconds.

“I know.”

“Get down!”

Dollah shoved Drake back and unholstered his sidearm. The other operatives also aimed their weapons at the receptionist.

Despite the command, Drake tried to stand up on tiptoes to see the receptionist - no, the creature inside him.

It’s staring right at Drake. It took one step toward him.

“Don’t move or we’ll shoot!” Dollah shouted at the receptionist.

Metallic blades shot out of the man’s arms into the throats of all the armed agents.

Drake stumbled back and fell to his rear. The thing could easily kill him if it wanted.

Eyes shimmering silver-grey again, the receptionist stepped over the fallen bodies, slowly walking toward Drake.

He held out a hand.

Holding the creature’s gaze, mesmerized, Drake accepted the hand. He was pulled up easily.

“Do you know who I am?” the symbiote asked.

“Yes - I’ve been searching for you.”

Drake allowed the symbiote to grasp his neck with its other hand, pushing his back against the wall.

“I _need_ you,” Drake moaned.

Then he felt something slither down his throat.

The receptionist’s figure dropped lifelessly to the bloodied floor. Something has made Carlton Drake its new home. Something intelligent and powerful.

“I am yours, Riot.”

* * *

Frina burped. The sound was loud in the empty meeting room… not that there’s anyone around to hear her.

‘U nasty,’ Pinion told her.

She smiled. ‘Yeah, I know.’

Bored with the wait, Frina took out her tablet to read Audit lecture notes from. As much as she’d like to listen to some music, she didn’t want to appear unprofessional. No, it’s better to look like a total nerd.

‘Plaza 33 is not such a bad place to work - probably not as bad as Nexus Bangsar South, especially considering distance and traffic.’

Pinion scoffed.

‘If your city’s atmosphere wasn’t so polluted, I could’ve taken you from home to here in less than half an hour.’

Frina blinked.

‘Pinion, it’s 13km of driving distance.’

‘So? Listen, if the air was clean, and if nobody’s watching, I could zooop you here.’

‘Okay, I see now. For a sec, I thought you’re suggesting that we _walk_ to office.’

Something invisible nudged Frina’s left shoulder.

‘You sayin’ you can’t walk 13 and 13 kilometers in a single day? I thought you believe in your “human evolution for persistence hunting” schtick.’

Frina grimaced. ‘Well, I -’

Three short knocks sounded on the meeting room door.

“Oh, finally,” Frina muttered under her breath.

She stood up and smoothed down her thin workshirt, quickly turning to face the door.

When it opened, she could see a pair of non-local men dressed in black guarding the meeting room entrance. And the person who stepped in is someone Frina thought she would only see on screen, never in person.

Inside her, Pinion is crawling for safety.

Carlton Drake, head of the Life Foundation, closed the door behind him.

“Please sit down, Miss Frina. I believe we have much to discuss.”

He knew her name.

She complied after the man took his chair, opposite hers.

“Excuse me for one minute,” Frina said.

She took off her spectacles and checked them for stains against the ceiling lights. Her shirt is a terrible material for cleaning her glasses, so she searched her pockets for a half-used tissue paper. None.

She reached into her bag and retrieved her banana-print pencilcase. From a side zipper she took out a smartphone screen-cleaning cloth. Finally she could clean her glasses.

After putting the cloth and case away, she put her spectacles back on. The man sitting across the meeting table is still Carlton Drake, dressed in his signature black and grey.

If he was exasperated by her delay in cleaning her glasses, he didn’t show it.

“From your reaction, I can safely assume I’m right when I say - you know who I am,” he broke the silence.

“It’s hard not to. My brothers talk about you at least once a month,” Frina replied.

A small smile showed through. “Yes. A younger brother at Monash University Malaysia, an older one working in Melbourne.”

She forced herself to nod, and looked away. He could’ve gathered that from her employee candidate registration form. But why would he be interviewing her personally?

‘He knows you have me, dumbass,’ Pinion hissed at her. She’s right, of course, but Frina didn’t want it to be true.

She looked at Carlton Drake again.

“So - you’re the head of a multinational company!” she said with a forced grin. “I _really_ appreciate you taking the time to interview a prospective accounting intern. Yeah, it’s an honor.”

Drake rose from his chair and made his way to stand near Frina.

She stood up as well, one hand on her backpack. He’s not _that_ much taller than she is, maybe a bit taller than her older brother, the tallest person in her family.

Liquid silver criss-crossed over his face and body. The symbiote that made him its host is colossal, with lots of sharp teeth.

Frina froze at the sight, saying nothing.

Then the symbiote opened its mouth and ran its tongue up Frina, from her shoulder to neck to face and hair.

Frina raised her hands, her squeezed eyes and grimacing mouth an obvious expression of disgust.

“Oh my fucking god, man! You can’t just go around licking people!” she yelled, not caring if the guards outside can hear her.

“Tastes like you, Pinion,” it said.

“Eh?” Frina wiped the saliva off her face and used her shirt to dry her glasses; there will be smudges, but it’s more important that the saliva is removed.

When her glasses are back on, she can see the thing grinning.

“Tastes like chicken.”

“EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME?”

Viscous feathers formed around her arms and upper body. Calm fury surrounded her, mostly coming from Pinion.

This is the team leader she talked about. This is Riot.

* * *

The large symbiote took a short step toward Pinion and her tiny host.

‘This is not someone we can beat alone, even if we do know jiujitsu,’ Frina told Pinion.

‘Ugh! I know. And that pisses me off even more.’

Pinion enveloped her in safety as she took the front-stance she learned in taekwondo.

Drake’s left side poked out of the symbiote.

“You might want to think again about fighting us,” he said.

He texted something on his phone. Five seconds later, Frina’s handphone rang. Pinion freed her host’s hands and settled on her shoulders.

Frina picked up the call. “Hello?”

“Big Sis, are you okay?”

“Colin?” Her younger brother’s voice was shaken with worry. She placed a hand on the meeting table to support herself.

“Yeah, it’s me, sis.”

“I’m doing fine. What - what about you?”

There is a pause. “Um, apparently some armed police officers came to our house with a warrant. They went to take your stuff out of your room -”

“Oh, crap. What stuff?”

“Your computer, a lot of books, some of your bags and clothes - also your flute for some reason.” Her younger brother’s voice still sounded nervous, but he spoke in a calm tone.

“I see. Wait, did they remember to get my pills?”

Another pause. Something rattled in the background.

“Yeah, they got’em, too,” her younger brother told her.

“Where are Mom and Dad? Are they safe?”

“I was going to tell you. When the police broke in, Mom and Dad tried to stop them, but -” Colin’s voice broke. “They melee’d our parents and tied them up. The police made me sit here - said they won’t tie me up if I don’t fight back. They wanted me to call you, tell you what happened.”

At some point during the call, Riot sank back into Drake. Frina glared at the financially-powerful host through moist eyes.

“Sis, what’s going on? Are the police arresting you for something?”

“Yeah…” Frina straightened up and looked away, toward the window that she wished she could crash through to fly out of.

“Colin, I’m sorry you have to find this out the hard way, but - your sister is a cryptid. Carlton Drake is taking me into custody.”

“Are you joking right now?”

She glanced at Drake again. He nodded at her. She passed her phone to him.

“Hello, Colin. Your sister is telling the truth, although ‘cryptid’ is much smaller than how the Life Foundation would describe her. Mark my words - your Big Sis has been chosen for something special, something that will determine the future of humankind. I personally promise that we’ll take good care of dear Frina. Do you believe me?”

Whatever the response was, it made Drake smile warmly at her.

“Good. Carry on with your life, young man. You’re the last chick in the nest.”

Drake ended the call, passing the phone back to Frina.

Once she put her lifeline away, her fists clenched and unclenched.

“If you did anything to him, I swear -”

“I knew you wouldn’t risk your little brother’s safety.” There was a sinister glint in his eye. “I’m also fully aware that you couldn’t care less what happens to your parents and your _successful_ older brother Steve. But Colin loves them and depends on them.”

Drake tilted his head. “You love your younger brother, don’t you?”

Frina wiped her downcast eyes.

“What do you want me to do?”

She flinched when Drake placed his right hand on her shoulder.

“Pack your things - well, the things you have here. After all, my auxiliary security personnel took care of your other belongings.”

* * *

Today turned out much better than Drake could have hoped for. Well, there was the messiness with the dead Special Branch agents, but he could easily pin that blame on Frina and her symbiote Pinion.

The added security escort to the modified private jet was almost redundant; a human host still experiences human feelings, feelings of fear and empathy. Pinion sometimes materialized, but always as a small bird on the girl’s shoulder. Somehow, this symbiote is following its host’s lead. Very interesting… it could be an effect of hundred percent symbiosis.

“Sir,” his secretary said, “you have a call from HQ.”

Drake looked at the dual clock on his personal phone. It is nearing 5PM in Kuala Lumpur, so it would be almost an hour past midnight back in San Francisco.

Something is wrong.

He picked up the call. “Drake.”

“Someone broke into our labs.” The reporting security guard paused, probably gulping. “Two of the three symbiotes went missing.”

‘How did your people let this happen?’ Riot shouted at him.

Drake didn’t allow the full brunt of his rage to pass through him; only a low growl made it to the surface.

“Triple our security, and get Treece on the line.”

‘Did they know which two symbiotes escaped?’ Riot asked, thankfully at normal volume this time.

‘I’ll ask Treece. He and his team will retrieve our symbiotes for us.”


	5. Transit

Frina was transported separately from Drake until they arrive at the modified jet. Here, she was given a bulletproof glass enclosure all to herself, filled with belongings from her previous life. The people who broke into her room were thoughtful enough to grab her toiletries as well, but she doesn't know if there's a shower on this plane. Maybe she can get cleaned up at the Life Foundation HQ.

For now, she took off her shoes.

“Shit. I want to change into comfy clothes, but people could be passing by at any second,” she exclaimed.

‘Get ready to change, weirdo. I’ll be your curtain.’

“Huh?”

Pinion unfurled her wings and generated a thin but opaque shield around her host.

“Go on.”

“Ooh, thanks!”

Frina hurriedly unbuttoned her shirt and pants, changed her underwear, and put on a T-shirt and single-pocket soft cotton leggings, a typical indoor ensemble.

The moment Pinion retracted the wing-shield and became a hadada ibis standing beside Frina, they could see scientists - and Dr Drake himself - staring at them, security guards aiming their weapons.

Frina raised her arms. “Seriously? If y’all bothered to get me a changing area, I wouldn’t’ve had to use my symbiote,” she said indignantly.

Drake waved the security guys away and approached the glass.

“You could’ve asked to go to the bathroom. You can change there.”

Frina said nothing.

Pinion only let out a “Bwak!”

* * *

Throughout the flight, Frina could be reading or writing, or even studying for Audit or SBR - if it mattered anymore. There is one power outlet in the enclosure (with its own adapter for non-American plugs), allowing her to charge her phone or iPod, but not enough to power both a CPU and a monitor.

‘The flute,’ Pinion said. ‘Your Yamaha YFL 221 student flute, obtained ten years ago.’

Sharing her mind, the symbiote knows her past. Frina touched the cloth carrier of the instrument several times on the way to the airport and in the jet. Now with nothing to do, music is the only thing she has left.

‘Put headphones on. Assemble the metal,’ Pinion told her.

Frina smiled and did as she was asked. The purple symbiote now takes the shape of a sulphur-crested cockatoo, connected to her host by a tendril wrapped around the latter’s left wrist.

“Get ready to headbang.”

Predictably enough, the first artist she covers is Metallica; they have many flute-worthy songs. Sometimes there’s Trivium as well.

‘Now it’s acceptable to have an audience,’ Frina thought with a smile.

Occasionally also standing up - it’s better for her breathing - she danced with the purple music-loving cockatoo.

About half an hour before dinner time, a familiar person stopped by the enclosure, looking expectantly at Frina.

‘Oh shit, it’s Dr Beliveau.’

“I think they want to talk to you,” Pinion told her.

“One second.”

Frina continued pressing the back button on her iPod until she found the Trivium song she wanted. She played its guitar and vocal melodies on flute, tapping her right foot to indicate the frantic beat of the song.

As soon as she finished playing the first verse, Frina paused her iPod and took her headphones off. Dr Beliveau smiled at her and clapped their hands lightly.

“That sounded good! What song was that?” they asked.

“It’s ‘Betrayer’, by Trivium,” Frina answered with a hollow smile.

“Oh.”

Frina went to sit down facing the Life Foundation scientist. Pinion is now a crow, perched on one of her legs.

“It’s not fair of me to do that, I guess. I mean, it’s not like we’re even friends in the first place,” she remarked.

“I’d like for us to be, if that’s okay with you,” they said.

Frina raised an eyebrow. “Really? I can see how that’s good for you and your boss. Befriend the host and the symbiote; you’ll get all their secrets for free.”

When she next looked at Beliveau, the doctor looked away, sadness in their eyes. They are genuinely hurt by this rejection.

“Wait - I’m sorry. I’m really bad at this whole ‘friendship’ thing, and I couldn’t tell if someone just wants me in return for something, or if they’re really trying to be a friend.” She couldn’t help but tear up at her next words: “And if someone genuinely wanted to be my friend, now I’m afraid I’ll get clingy and disgust them and drive them away.”

Pinion shapeshifted into a condor and hugged her.

Beliveau sat down by the glass enclosure, examining the paired human and symbiote.

‘Of course,’ Frina thought, ‘with my meds and ketamine, I hardly ever cry anymore. But this - it’s an old wound that still fucking hurt.’

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you and Pinion found each other,” Beliveau spoke.

Frina wiped her tears and nodded.

“I’m glad, too!” Pinion said brightly, and slapped her host’s left shoulder. “This bad girl can fit so much love and affection inside her.”

Frina turned to the purple symbiote and eyed her with exaggerated affront.

“You won’t pun, but you will meme to no end!”

Dr Beliveau covered their mouth as they laughed. Pinion looked extremely proud of herself.

Frina turned to talk to Dr Beliveau again. “Thanks for caring about us - well, beyond scientific interests. And frankly, I shouldn’t stay mad at you. You’re just doing your job… plus you’re really cute.”

“I’m what?” Dr Beliveau asked.

Frina covered her face and let herself fall to the floor while still keeping her flute safe from the hard surface. “Aaaaaa - that didn’t come out right, that should’ve been an internal monologue.”

“No, that’s alright! I appreciate the compliment. Thanks,” Beliveau said with a sheepish smile.

Frina laughed wryly. “‘Human host is bad at flirting’, that’s one for the journal, Doctor,” she exclaimed.

“You can call me Marsail. I’m not a doctor all the time.”

“Alrighty.”

* * *

Some unfortunate fucker was tasked with buying an O’Briens signature tripledecker toastie for Frina’s dinner before the private jet took off. It was only with Pinion’s help that Frina managed to clean the plate of delicious sandwich.

After finishing her dinner and taking her anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds - plus a healthy tablet of magnesium - Frina sat with her bags and boxes, arranging papers and books.

‘So much fiction. So many class notes. Cards, receipts… they had enough sense to take my sewing and knitting shit, too,’ she mused.

‘You have officially left your home. Maybe this is a good thing,’ Pinion said.

‘It’s not good for me if it’s not good for you as well. Drake and Riot are planning something, and they’re about to use us for it.’

Outwardly, Pinion made a sad bird noise.

“I’m sorry I never got to take you to the Malaysian waterfalls I know. The fresh air, the cold water…”

“Don’t fret,” Carlton Drake said, standing by one side of the clear glass enclosure. “If you behave, we might just take you out on a field trip. You’ll love our national parks.”

“Yeah, too bad your current administration is taking away the federal funding meant for nature reserves, even slashing EPA rules,” Frina responded.

He smiled, eyebrows raised.

‘Why would he be so amused? Surely he’s seen my US-related retweets,’ she thought.

“So you’re aware of this unfortunate state that the world is in: natural resources eaten up in favor of corporate greed,” he spoke. As he did so, Riot gradually surfaced to cover the right side of his head.

“We can change things, Pinion. We can devour those profiteers before they kill the world in a fit of excess, with their hunger that nothing can satisfy.” Man and symbiote spoke together.

Frina physically wilted, unable to shape up a rebuke.

They were right. With the power of symbiotes, they can kill all the unscrupulous CEOs, destroy the military-industrial complex, kill lots of abusive cops, redistribute wealth to society, or heck, maybe even do away with the concept of wealth itself.

It was a grand vision of the world, and everything she could dream for. But it didn’t feel right; not to Frina, not to Pinion.

‘Riot is one hell of a manipulator. Drake, too.’ At that moment, their two minds were one.

Drake stepped away at an unhurried pace.

“You don’t have to tell us whether you agree or not. In the end, that’s what you both want. We know that,” he said, his voice accompanied by Riot’s even though the silver symbiote has withdrawn into him.

Frina put her papers and files aside, then scooted to the cloth pallet that is her in-transit bed. She didn’t feel like using a blanket. Pinion formed wings to cover her instead, and Frina hugged those wings close.

* * *

For the rest of the flight, there was nothing much for Frina to do other than read novels or write down ideas, and sleep, maybe even play the flute again.

The scientists and analysts graciously kept a flowing supply of clean water for her to drink, and when she has to use the bathroom, one of the nerds would accompany her there - along with a pair of armed guards.

Five hours before touchdown, she finally decided to shower.

“What clothes are you gonna wear?” Dr Beliveau - Marsail - asked when Frina put in her cleanup request.

“I’m not sure it’s going to matter. Drake’s fellow researchers probably see me the same way he does: just some weirdo human host who managed to bond perfectly with a symbiote.”

“A weirdo symbiote,” Pinion added.

Marsail smiled. “That’s what makes you so perfect for each other, isn’t it? I hope you pick whatever you feel most faithfully represents you,” they exclaimed.

Frina smiled at them, and Pinion birb-nodded.

“It’s an awesome idea. Thanks.”

Frina’s regalia for her Life Foundation Headquarters debut is her Metallica Death Magnetic T-shirt, a pair of camo-printed cargo pants, her Palladium boots and knee-length rainbow socks, and a denim jacket tied around her waist. Her short hair is styled neatly with hair clay and comb.

While other workers moved her possessions to a larger enclosure, four armed Life Foundation guards surrounded her, keeping up with Carlton Drake.

“Welcome back, Dr Drake,” one of the San Francisco-based scientists said, and eyed Frina; Pinion is now a [pileated woodpecker](http://ekoi-panot.tumblr.com/post/160387843988/falseredstart-this-could-very-well-be-the-final) sitting atop her head.

“That’s them, right?”

In response, Pinion gave out a few loud calls.

Drake motioned for the security team on the ground to lower their weapons.

“You can stand down. The symbiote and her host have agreed to cooperate,” he assured them, amid more woodpecker calls.

“Are you completely sure?” a shaven-headed leaderly sort asked.

Pinion quieted down to allow her host to speak.

“Aw hell, is he sure? ’Course he is. He threatened to kill mah family if I didn’t do wut he says,” Frina said aloud in an exaggerated Southern accent, no particular sub-region in mind. Marsail covered their mouth at that.

Drake smoothed over the exasperation on his face with a smile, especially when Pinion began continuing her woodpecker noises.

“Well, there you have it. I want tests done as soon as possible. Treece, I’ll need that update.”

Before Marsail goes to get their rest, they accompanied Frina to a gender-neutral public bathroom.

Frina shakes off her costume and puts on the patient’s gown she was supplied; the doctors are going to analyze everything they can about her health, how the presence of a symbiote may have altered her physiology and general wellness.

“That was fun,” Marsail commented.

“Pinion did most of the work. Then again, I feel like I should’ve at least thrown one meme at them,” Frina replied.

“But which meme?” the nonbinary scientist asked.

Shaping herself into a golden eagle, Pinion put her wing tips together and stood facing the humans.

“You shoulda done it to’em,” she spoke.

Marsail laughed softly while Frina nodded with an awkward smile.

“Take care, you two.”

“Good night, Marsail.”

Pinion peeped.

* * *

Although Frina has never gone for a full physical test for work or insurance purposes, she knows the gist of what happens. Answer surveys on meds she takes and about her medical history, about her diet pre- and post-symbiosis with Pinion. Lie down on a table and get examined by a stethoscope. Have some blood samples drawn out for lab work. Pee in a cup.

“What about that physical test where you run on a treadmill? I mean, when do I do that?” Frina asked at one point.

“Probably tomorrow morning or later. You have to wear comfortable clothes and sports shoes when you do that test. Similarly, we won’t be carrying out a sleep test until you’ve properly adjusted to this time zone.”

“Ah. Right.”

Other than the occasional exclamations of “I’m fucking bored”, Pinion has not really been a material nuisance to the scientists. For some moments, Frina could see Drake watching her from beyond bulletproof glass. There were already many people around, so one extra pair of eyes isn’t enough to make her blush about being naked beneath one layer of hypoallergenic cloth.

But she couldn’t help leveling him an accusing stare.

‘It’s not fair that you’re not getting tested as well,’ she thought.

But she and Pinion knew better than to speak of Drake’s symbiosis with Riot aloud; Drake will make it known in due time. Besides, the image of Drake holding her mobile phone, talking to her younger brother… it’s still fresh in Frina’s mind.

Drake departed again later that night, his own cell phone at his ear. Frina gathered from surrounding chatter on the plane and in the lab that two of the three originally recovered symbiotes have gone missing for about a day.

‘Is it a good thing that they escaped?’ Frina asked Pinion.

The examiners are discussing whether they should be MRI’ing the subjects tonight.

‘I don’t know. I’m not really attached to my teammates.’

‘What are they like?’

‘Lasher is blue. She’s dedicated to the symbiote society, but she hates Riot’s leadership. Venom’s in black - people call him a loser, but he can be sweet.’

Frina sensed Pinion’s memories.

‘He looked out for you - like an older brother I never had.’

‘I don’t think I ever truly appreciated him enough. But now I have you.’

“Don’t put them in the MRI chamber!”

Frina nearly slid off the bench when she heard Drake shout. Pinion’s goose head appeared from the base of Frina’s neck.

“The sound frequency is harmful to the symbiote.”

“Uh, hello? Your amplitude is not as easy on the ears either, mister,” Pinion pointed out.

“Wrap it up for the night, and get ready to take them to their room,” Drake continued, and then approached the glass to talk to the pair.

“Scream is dead,” Riot spoke from Drake’s lips.

Pinion looked away.

“Who’s Scream?” Frina asked.

“Yellow. A loser, quite like Venom, but doesn’t really care about anyone but himself,” Pinion replied, her voice apathetic.

“You’re right about that. He exhausted the vital functions of every human subject we could muster up, and when we have no volunteers left, we couldn’t keep him alive,” Riot added.

Drake placed his right palm on the glass, as if reaching for Frina’s shoulder. “The two of you, the two of us, with Venom and Lasher and their hosts - we will be responsible for bridging humankind and symbiotes together. We will herald the end of the Anthropocene,” Drake and Riot spoke as one.

Frina only blinked, maintaining her blur-headed wallflower manner.

Drake left. The scientists brought Frina to her ‘room’, another glass enclosure but with more power outlets, a low bed, covered toilet and shower section, and thankfully, a lot of table space.

Frina changed into her nightclothes and wore a pair of socks to bed. Pinion blanketed her in big feathery wings again.


	6. Happy Together

Treece and his men apprehended Eddie Brock. Unfortunately for the team, he did not have the black symbiote on him.

They detained Eddie, and Drake - along with Riot - interrogated him. The shadow of a reporter maintained that he did not know where Venom went after the separation. As for the blue symbiote, well, Eddie wasn't sure what happened the night he broke into the Life Foundation labs. Of course, he wouldn't say who helped him get inside, but Drake is highly aware that Dora Skirth has been missing from the time the two symbiotes disappeared as well.

‘Do you think Venom will return to Brock?’ Drake asked his leader.

‘Venom is not like Scream. If he survives, he’ll return to his true host,’ Riot said.

Drake eyed the scruffy man who somehow survived the symbiosis process.

‘We have Pinion. If we’re patient and we play smart, we’ll have Venom as well. What about the blue one?’

‘I don’t care for Lasher. She’s been a thorn in my side during our last scouting mission. If she’s here, she will lead a mutiny against us.’

‘Fair enough, Riot.’

Drake and his henchmen zip-tied Eddie’s hands and took him through some passages. The places are cold, all made of metal - unfeeling, like most of the Life Foundation and other biomedical corporations Eddie had tried to expose. Drake and the small entourage of security men stopped in front of a large glass enclosure.

Eddie squinted in the dim light; there was a PC, a shelf for books, bags filled with clothes and knick-knacks… glasses and a phone on a bedside table, and a bed occupied by what looks like an Asian teenager covered by a pair of purple slime-wings.

Symbiote wings.

‘Didn’t Dr Skirth say something about another symbiote that might have escaped in Malaysia?’ Eddie thought, frowning at the sleeping pair.

“Beautiful, aren’t they? They’ve cooperated in every test the Life Foundation put them through,” Drake told him.

“That’s a kid sleeping in there. How can you say a kid ‘cooperated’?” Eddie asked, not holding down his incredulity and disgust.

“She’s twenty-seven years old. She’ll tell you that herself, when you meet her. It helps the symbiote that she really likes birds as well,” Drake explained, and continued walking.

Treece jabbed at Eddie’s back with the barrel of a semi-auto rifle. Eddie shook his head, but walked on anyway.

The security men cut off the zip tie and threw Eddie into a glass enclosure identical to the symbiote girl’s, except there were no books and personal computer.

Eddie took off his shirt and hoodie, and began cleaning up his bloodied mouth at the sink.

‘This is a trap laid out for Venom,’ he thought. ‘They think he’ll come back for me; that’s why they haven’t killed me yet.’

He frowned. ‘But why show me the girl? Why convince me to join him and his ugly grey parasite?’

There’s always another secret, another poor soul to rescue. He has already lost Dr Skirth, with no idea where she is or what the blue symbiote did to her. Will the girl and her purple bird symbiote even welcome a rescue?

There was too much to think about, and he has no energy for it right now.

* * *

Venom is anxious, worried about Eddie. Anne understands that feeling, which is why she allowed Venom to lead her movements, tracking Eddie down to the Life Foundation where Carlton Drake’s men have detained him.

But the complex is a fortress (despite its horrendous security) and Eddie probably hasn’t had much rest in the past two days. So Anne will wait for the right time to infiltrate the Life Foundation. It’s up to her to keep Venom from doing something stupid.

* * *

“Ever get the sense that we were being watched?” Pinion asked when Frina woke up.

“Wha?” the host asked sleepily, absently looking for her blood pressure monitor out of habit.

“Drake and that Treece guy were here last night, escorting a prisoner. He smelled like Venom, but - Venom’s not in him.”

Frina sat upright, put on her glasses and took her pre-chosen clothing for the day: sports clothes, right down to the undies. After changing into them, she tossed last night’s clothes into the laundry basket, and put on new socks and her favored Asics shoes.

“D’you think Venom is okay out there?” Frina asked with concern.

“He should be, as long as he has a host - as long as he doesn’t end up killing that host,” Pinion replied, calm tone belying her anxiety.

They’re both aware what happened with Scream.

Frina rang the call button of her enclosure to the melody-lengths of “Wherever I May Roam” until a scientist arrives at the door. It’s Marsail.

“You’re up early,” they remarked.

“Another host arrived last night. Pinion and I want to see him,” Frina told them.

“Oh, and good morning, Marsail,” Pinion added hurriedly.

Frina smacked her forehead and nodded apologetically at the scientist. “Yup, good morning.”

“Alright…” Marsail paused, staring at the two. “How did you know there’s another symbiote host in the house?” they asked.

“Pinion was half-awake when Carlton brought the guy to look at me. She’s my bedtime lookout,” Frina explained.

Marsail nodded slowly. “I’ll ask the others if you can see him yet,” they responded.

* * *

She cannot talk to the new prisoner yet, it seems; the guards don’t have authorisation from Carlton to let Frina make contact with Eddie Brock.

‘Why does that name sound familiar?’ Frina wondered while the guards led her to the labs for her exercise stress test.

‘It’s got something to do with the Life Foundation. There’s an old tweet about him getting discredited by the corporation for attempting to blow a whistle on some of its activities.’

‘Yeah, and the Brock Report got canceled after that. But why are they detaining him now?’

‘... because he was Venom’s host?’

Frina frowned. Marsail and the scientists are attaching wires to her before she gets on the treadmill.

‘So what, he was also behind the Life Foundation break-in that happened before we arrived in San Francisco?’

‘It’s a possibility, though I don’t know why he’d be involved now. If I believed in destiny, I’d say Venom called to him, and he heard it,’ Pinion mused.

‘That’s sweet,’ Frina exclaimed.

She turned to the scientists. “If I get tired while running, is it okay that Pinion takes over and starts flying?” she asked.

“No flying,” one of the lab seniors curtly answered.

“No symbiote interference either. We’re trying to establish a baseline,” another one continued when Frina’s shoes began to purple up in the shape of emu feet.

Frina made a sour face. “Do y’all at least have an aviary or something? Pinion wants to fly every now and then, y’know.”

“I’ll ask Mr Drake about that,” Marsail offered.

Frina nodded in thanks.

* * *

“You’ve got a visitor,” Treece’s voice woke Eddie.

He couldn’t be sure what time it was, but in a way he was glad to have his rest. No voice inside his head, no parasite eating away at his organs.

Eddie sat up on his bed, blearily blinking sleep away. The smell of fresh bread, coffee and fruits filled his nostrils.

At the opened entrance, a young scientist is wheeling in a trolley of delicious breakfast. Next walking into the enclosure is the girl from last night, wide awake and wearing jeans and a Trivium T-shirt. She is carrying her stool, her handbag, and a dark green T-shirt several sizes too big for her.

The girl tossed the bundle of cloth at Eddie, who caught it with his face. He inspected the faded print on the shirt (“I Survived Foveaux Straits”) before putting it on. It actually fit him quite nicely; if this shirt belonged to her, why did it have to be this big?

“Hi. I’m Frina, and this is Pinion,” the girl introduced herself and her symbiote, now shaped like a crow perched on her shoulder.

The scientist arranged for the trolley to be Eddie’s table, and tapped Frina’s shoulder before they left. Frina and the crow nodded at them.

‘So Drake’s allowing us to interact, huh? Wonder what his reasons were,’ Eddie thought.

He observed the young woman placing the stool down and sitting there, joining him at the makeshift table.

“You’re Eddie Brock, right?” she asked timidly, as if afraid to offend him. She is as anxious and twitchy as a bird.

“I used to be,” he responded almost automatically.

Frina cast her eyes down briefly, then began piling her plate with salad, croissants, a few portions of an omelet, and some orange slices.

Eddie tentatively began taking some salad as well.

“Don’t worry. There’s no point drugging the food now that we’re already in custody,” she pointed out.

“‘We’, huh,” Eddie said in a sullen tone.

To add to the strange feeling of loss he felt, the girl took a hash brown, broke it on her plate, and blew on one small piece before feeding it to her birdy symbiote.

He decided to take an immodest helping of breakfast foods to his plate. It’s not like he’s going to eat like this all the time. Some beef strips, several hashbrowns, and one croissant to see what the big deal with the French pastry is.

“How did you and Venom get separated, anyway?” Pinion asked while Frina is eating her buttered and chocolate-spread croissant.

Eddie poured some coffee for himself. “Venom and I were recuperating from a fight. We went to the hospital, and… I forced him out of me.”

Frina made a sad noise. “Why would you do that?” she asked.

“Because he’s a parasite, just like Carlton Drake’s ugly grey guy and your little bird here.”

Pinion shook from her legs to her head.

“PARASITE?” she practically spat out the word.

With wide eyes, Frina reached to stroke Pinion as if to calm her down.

Eddie raised his hands, palms facing upward. “Yeah, you enter her head and eat her organs from the inside, don’t you?” he asked Pinion.

Frina continued to hold Pinion back from fighting Eddie. The girl paused, thinking before she chooses her next words.

“I’ve had Pinion for well over a week now, and I haven’t felt any effects of organ failure. The lab geeks ran physical tests on me last night and didn’t find anything wrong with my liver or kidneys, despite my ridiculous salt intake,” she explained.

“All that salt ends up with me. I’m the Dead Sea, baby,” Pinion added.

Eddie swallowed down a mouthful of chewed banana and exhaled at length.

“So Drake’s right about you, then,” he said.

Frina blinked.

“He showed you off to me last night and said you’ve been very cooperative when it comes to doing tests on you. And that you’re twenty-seven years old, apparently.”

Frina nodded at that.

“Tell me: how does it feel to willingly work for the biggest douchebag the world has ever known?”

Frina’s smile did not reach her eyes, which are blinking back tears behind her glasses.

“Considering the fact that Carlton could kill my little brother and the rest of my family, and that the Malaysian law enforcement would be complicit in it,” she said, her voice deepening and breaking, “it’s kind of fucking hard to say!”

“Frina, hey!” Pinion called out.

Eddie watched in alarm as the young woman stood abruptly, knocking over her stool. She strode over to one wall to punch the glass, but Pinion is the one who restrains her this time. First physically, then after Frina picked up the stool and sat back down, by turning into a magpie-robin and singing sweetly.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie told Frina.

She wiped her eyes and nose with a serviette.

“I should’ve known that… well, the other subjects of human testing, especially homeless people, they didn’t know what they were in for. But you’re in this because you don’t have a choice,” he stated.

Frina took a sip of plain water and poured more coffee for herself, mixing milk and sugar into her cup.

“Y’know, one of my doctors back in Malaysia is a hormone specialist, and she said there are four main happy hormones your body can produce: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins,” she spoke, regaining her composure.

“DOSE, a dose of happiness. I’m not clear on what chemical reactions specifically happen in the body, but as long as I’m happy, Pinion will be very happy. That’s why she didn’t need to feed on my organs.”

Eddie nodded, understanding.

“Look,” Frina continued, “I think I can assume that, from what I know about you, your life hasn’t been easy, and you don’t have much of a reason to be happy. But whatever happens, I hope you and Venom find each other again, and that you can be happy with him. Pinion said he’s not so bad.”

Eddie didn’t want to agree with Frina, but he didn’t want to upset her again either. His eyes downcast, he read again the faded print on the shirt she gave him.

“What’s ‘Foveaux Straits’?” he asked.

“It’s the strait that separates Stewart Island from the rest of New Zealand’s South Island. There’s a little map of Stewart Island right there on that shirt,” Frina answered.

Something caught her eye and made her sigh in frustration.

“It’s Carlton Douchebag. I think he saw the surveillance feed and was afraid I’ll shatter his bulletproof glass,” she said.

Eddie laughed at the nickname she gave their captor, the idea taken from him, no doubt.

“Anyway, uh, it’s nice talking to you, Eddie. See you again, probably, if they’ll let me.”

“You, too, Frina. And Pinion.”

“Farewell, Edd-boi,” Pinion greeted.

* * *

Other scientists removed the trolley and stool from Eddie’s enclosure.

Carlton personally went to escort Frina and Pinion back to their room. His jacket sleeve-covered arm is seen around her shoulders, but she can feel Riot’s grip. Maddeningly, that along with Carlton’s cologne is making her feel thirsty.

“Good work making Eddie talk,” Carlton told her. Then he spotted her restrained expression. “What’s wrong?”

Frina sneezed violently, almost strong enough to wrench free of Carlton’s and Riot’s hold.

“I have a sensitive nose. That’s why I hate smokers,” she explained.

The corners of Carlton’s lips curved upward.

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t smoke,” he said, unlocking the door to her and Pinion’s room. He released the host and allowed her to enter, locking the door behind her.

After he left, Frina made an expression mimicking a Jackie Chan meme.

‘What the fuck was that supposed to mean?’ Frina shouted into herself.

‘Hey, do what you gotta do. It’s not my business who you jack off to,’ Pinion replied.

Frina’s jaw dropped. She scowled at the preening egret.


	7. Dented Flute

Anne wore glasses and a hat, disguising herself as part of a public tour group. That would be her first way in. Then she will go to the bathroom, remove the hat, wait a while, and sneak out. She stole a lab coat and wore it over her suit. She made sure she looked like she belongs there in the bluish steel corridors.

‘He’s here somewhere,’ Venom rumbled inside her.

Soon Anne heard something strange: sinister music played on a cheerful instrument. She followed the sound to its source… a young glasses-wearing girl with a purple bird on her head.

‘Beaky!’ Venom exclaimed.

‘Are you friends with that bird?’ Anne asked.

Spotting Anne, the flute-playing girl turned away as if to ignore her, but her right pinky finger pointed down the direction of one corridor. And the music theme is for an obscure animated cartoon. What was its name…

‘Ed, Edd and -’

‘Eddie!’

Maintaining her disguise, Anne followed the girl’s direction and walked down the corridor indicated. Unable to contain his excitement, Venom emerged to encase her, his full size giving her extra height. They broke through the final door, and finally see Eddie sitting on the bed, leaning against a glass wall.

His eyes opened, and he dashed to the door of the enclosure.

Venom and Anne smashed on a button and the secure door slid open.

Eddie jumped into Venom’s arms and hugged the large symbiote, and with Venom at the wheel, he led Anne to kiss Eddie on the mouth… and that lasted up until Venom has fully returned to Eddie’s body.

Anne backed away first. “Hi, Eddie.”

“Hey, Annie.”

For a moment, they just stood there.

“Get Beaky,” Venom reminded them.

“You mean Pinion,” Eddie told him. “We’ve gotta get her and Frina out of here.”

“Frina, the flute girl?” Anne asked.

Eddie led the way this time.

‘Miss you, Eddie.’

‘Can we please talk about that later?’

‘Miss Beaky, too.’

‘Yeah, we’re getting her and Frina out,’ he told the symbiote.

Anne in tow, he pressed the button at the door of Frina and Pinion’s enclosure, but there was an ominous beeping tone. The text on the door panel read ‘Passcode Required’.

“Shit,” Eddie mouthed.

Flute in one hand, purple crow on a shoulder, Frina went to the door.

“What are you doing?”

“Venom, Annie and I are getting you out. You’ve been here long enough,” Eddie said, punching in codes at random, only to be answered with more warning beeps.

“We’ll be fine. You and Venom and your friend should go. Haul ass. This is a trap Carlton Drake is setting for Venom,” Frina told him.

“Yeah, well, we don’t care,” Eddie replied.

“Run away with us, Beaky. Fly away,” Venom added.

Frina slammed her forehead to the glass door and squeezed her eyes shut. Startled, Eddie stopped keying in numbers. Pinion remained unfazed on her host’s shoulder.

“Try 052091,” she said, opening her eyes again.

Eddie keyed in those digits, and the door slid open.

“Let’s go,” Venom urged them.

* * *

The three humans and two symbiotes barely made it through a doorway when they find themselves faced with armed guards.

Two of them parted to let Carlton through. There is a smug expression on his face.

“You should’ve listened to Pinion’s host. Then you could’ve avoided all this.”

He smirked at Anne in particular.

“Your sneaking skills aren’t bad, Ms Weying, although you should’ve chosen a better disguise.”

Anne frowned and took off the borrowed lab coat, letting it fall to the floor.

Still holding her student flute in her left hand, Frina advanced to stand in front of Eddie and Anne, Pinion’s albatross wings helping to shield them.

Riot surfaced to cover half of Carlton’s face.

“Join us, Venom. Help us bring our people here, and you will be honored for all time,” the silver symbiote spoke.

“You don’t have an ‘us’, Riot. You know of me, and we both know Pinion. She has always tried to run away from you,” Venom responded.

The men began aiming at Eddie and Venom.

“Run away. You’re right,” Pinion muttered. “But I’m not the Pinion you used to know.”

Frina straightened up. She began walking toward Carlton.

“What? No,” Eddie said.

His and Venom’s hand united to hold Frina’s symbiote-feathered shoulder, but Frina and Pinion shook those hands loose.

Carlton smiled smiled triumphantly when Frina went to stand at less than an arm’s length in front of him. He raised a hand to her shoulder to pull her to his side, but she threw her arms around his slender body and planted her lips on his mouth.

“Oh,” Riot exclaimed in excitement.

Eddie, Venom and Anne stared. The guards looked at each other awkwardly.

Sensing that the distraction is working, Pinion enlarged her wings and flapped them forward, sweeping the guards and their weapons away.

“Go!” Pinion shouted at the three that Frina left.

Eddie and Anne ran. Venom stayed with Eddie, though he couldn’t help looking back.

A few corridors closer to freedom, Venom urged his host to stop. Eddie acquiesced.

Frina and Pinion stayed behind and risked their safety, maybe even their lives, to let Eddie, Venom, and Anne escape. But Pinion is like a little sister to Venom; he can't just leave her and her host to deal with Riot by themselves.

“Get to safety, Anne. We are going back for them,” Venom said.

“Excuse me? I can fight ugly,” Anne insisted.

“Yeah, you should believe her,” Eddie told Venom.

“You don’t understand. Riot is strong. He can kill Pinion, and he can kill me. We don’t want you to get hurt as well,” Venom said vehemently.

Eddie said nothing, but he gave Anne a meaningful look - a look of trust - before Venom encased him in symbiotic strength, and left her to find safety.

* * *

Frina continued kissing Carlton even after his men have been knocked down by Pinion’s wings. It took more than eight seconds for Carlton and Riot to come to their senses and push Frina off of them.

Pinion withdrew her wings to Frina, who hugged her flute to herself. She is a small, pathetic target now.

‘Maybe Venom and the others can escape -’

Riot took over Carlton and shoved Frina and Pinion against one wall. The movement knocked the flute out of Frina’s hand, and the sound of the instrument hitting the floor rang in the hallway. Frina could only stare after it in dismay before a large blade speared her in the gut.

“You made a grave mistake, little ones,” Riot and Carlton spoke in unison.

Memories flashed in Frina’s mind. Classmates bullying her. An older brother insulting her for expressing pain. Strangers yelling at her for trying to join in a conversation. More classmates bullying her. Taekwondo club colleagues leaving her out because she couldn’t speak their preferred language. A good friend abandoning her.

Her own mother holding her down and hitting her, shouting demeaning things at her. Interspersed with that memory are those of Pinion being beaten down by Riot, repeatedly.

‘It ends here.’

Frina opened her eyes. “You think _we_ made a grave mistake?” she asked.

Pinion began closing over her, healing her body.

“You dented our flute!” host and symbiote yelled together.

Partnered with Frina, Pinion threw a right hook at Riot’s head, then a left hook, and an elbow swing at Riot’s midsection.

Riot grunted and formed hammer-hands to slam at Pinion.

With curved wing-shields she blocked her front, and while Riot was reeling back from one strike, Pinion’s daggered cassowary leg flew up and delivered a downward heel kick.

Riot roared; the claw scratched his left eye.

The large symbiote thundered forward to smash his mass over Pinion and pin her against the wall again. Pinion perched ready to get out of the way, but a darker mass caught Riot around the neck and swung him overhead, the momentum making the silver symbiote crash down the hallway.

Frina and Pinion’s anger haze faded.

“Tongue-Guy, it’s you!” Pinion exclaimed.

“Learned some new moves, huh, Beaky?” Venom asked.

“Come watch ATLA and LOK with us sometime,” Pinion replied.

The two symbiotes and their hosts walked over to where Venom threw Riot. The silver substance receded, revealing Carlton holding a phone in his hand.

“With one call, one command, your family could die,” he told Frina.

“Family?” she repeated the word, smiling wryly; on a bird symbiote, the expression is disturbing.

“Let me tell you a funny story about my family. My dad doesn’t love me beyond the businesswoman he wants me to be. My mom treated me like an investment until she realized I was a liability, and pummeled me when I pissed her off enough.”

Purple arms held silver symbiote and black-jacketed host against the wall this time.

“My older bro is the most accomplished member of my family, and his accomplishment builds on the fact that he doesn’t allow his siblings to compromise his social life. My younger bro has friends, he has graduated from therapy, and he doesn’t need me to look after him. He said so.”

Pinion gave way for Frina to stare Carlton eye-to-eye.

“Go ahead and call your little Special Branch cronies, Carl. Venom, Eddie, Pinion and I will still pound your ass seven ways to Sunday.”

Carlton inhaled deeply, exhaled, closed his eyes and pocketed his phone.

Riot covered him again; they took advantage of the small couple’s hold, and Riot forcibly ripped Pinion off her host.

Frina cried out in pain.

“No!” Venom and Eddie shouted together.

Keeping a stranglehold on Pinion with one hand, Riot shaped his other fist into a morningstar and swung it at Frina’s chest.

Her small body went flying.

Venom rushed at Riot, but the larger symbiote elbowed him aside and sped down one hallway. While Venom is recovering, Riot threw the hostless Pinion into an empty glass enclosure and locked her there. He then went back to fight Venom, keeping from rescuing his ally.

Riot and Carlton made sure Venom is riled up enough that he would rather fight than think about what happened to Pinion and Frina. Then they will have Venom and Eddie pinned down, and they could separate this pair as well.

They will pay for their insubordination.


	8. Captain

Pinion punched against the glass door and walls to no avail.

“Frina!” she shouted. If she was human, she would be leaking from the eyes right now.

“You stupid, overdramatic, angsty edgelord,” Pinion said, though the person she wanted to say it to is dying somewhere in the building.

Hearing footsteps, Pinion formed herself in the shape of a kiwi bird as best as she could; it’s difficult to form a shape without a frame. She made small bird noises, hoping the passer-by would hear her and see an unthreatening creature.

The sound of flat shoe footfalls is coming nearer, right to the door of Pinion’s enclosure.

“You poor thing,” a kindly voice said.

Pinion stared up at the lab coat-wearing scientist standing in the doorway.

The woman with tied-up hair and large spectacles unlocked the door and scooped Pinion into her arms. Something about her smelled familiar.

“I don’t believe it,” Pinion whispered. “Lasher?”

* * *

The air is hot and humid. Frina knew then that she is in Johor. This is the graveyard where her maternal grandparents were buried.

The sun is setting. She walked toward one nearby plot, and the headstone has her name carved into it.

Metallic claws dug into one shoulder.

“It’s time to go,” Carlton’s voice spoke.

Frina stared up at the tall grey figure and its scythe arm.

“I’m not ready. I have a lot of things to do,” she replied.

“Everyone else said the same thing. Now let’s go.”

Frina frowned.

“There are stringent criteria for an asset or disposal group held-for-sale to fulfil, before they can meet the definition and be recognized as such. For example, you have to clear the backlog of orders before you can classify the DG as ‘held for sale’.”

The massive, robed being growled at her in irritation.

A hawk screamed as it dove at Frina, and she turned to it with a big smile.

“SUP NERRRD!!!”

* * *

Frina let out a strangled cough. She lay still and tried to breathe slowly while Pinion healed her cracked ribs and spine, plus other organs that might have been damaged when Riot knocked her out.

“Kind of a reckless move there, kid - talking face-to-face with Riot like that,” a woman said to her.

The voice and appearance are not familiar, but from her white lab coat, Frina assumed she is a scientist.

“Yeah, well, you knew I was suicidal when you recruited me. It’s in my file,” Frina replied, muttering “ow” when Pinion and the scientist helped her sit up.

“Actually, I wasn’t involved in testing you.”

The scientist held out a hand, and Frina shook it before allowing her to pull her to her feet.

“I’m Dr Dora Skirth,” she introduced herself. A stern-looking blue head extended from behind her.

“And I’m Lasher,” the blue symbiote said.

“Oh. Honored to meet you two,” Frina replied. “Where did Riot and Venom go, anyway?”

“They’re fighting, as they tend to do. They've gone out to the launch pad,” Lasher answered.

“We should go there. We have to help Venom and Eddie.”

“You’re in no condition to fight now, Frina. Besides, you and Pinion can help in another way, not necessarily fighting,” Skirth told her.

“Remember Varrick in Season 4?” Pinion asked Frina.

She frowned, wiping her eye-smudged and blood-stained glasses with her T-shirt.

“You didn’t say EMP was an effective weapon against symbiotes,” she remarked.

“Well, not EMP, necessarily,” Pinion retorted.

While they talked, they find that Skirth has led them to…

Frina gasped. “My flute!”

“Let’s go and take that to your room. Is your phone there?” Skirth asked.

Frina inspected the instrument even as she walked ahead and led the way to her enclosure. The buttons and covering mechanisms seem to be in working condition, and the damage is more superficial than she thought.

“What for? I can’t make calls here,” she replied.

“What about taking videos?”

“Ehh, my phone has shitty camera quality. If you want a _real_ recording device… aha.”

Frina held up her low-cost but still rather nice Sony compact digital camera, grinning in triumph. Pinion made a video game-related sound.

They turned to Skirth and Lasher.

“What do we do with it?” Frina asked.

“Record Venom’s fight with Riot, and get good shots of Drake and Riot working together. Commentate if you want to.”

Skirth leads the way this time, but stops outside the space operations control room.

“Drake has arranged for a space probe to launch him and Riot out of Earth. Lasher and I will ground all the vessels,” she spoke.

“All the best, Dr Skirth. And thanks - we owe you,” Frina replied.

“Run along, scouts.”

* * *

Lasher and Skirth were right about where Venom and Riot went, and why Riot took the fight there. One rocket stood ready, though Frina is not sure when Carlton had it prepped for launch. But that won't be her problem right now; the fluid brawl between black and gray is what merits her attention. She and Pinion would have to sneak forward and get close without being involved in the fight as well, since Pinion is still in the process of healing her host's body.

Frina never had the steadiest hands or fingers; every time she takes a photo on her phone with only one hand, the image will always turn out blurry. Fortunately for her, she is not using a phone, she is recording a video, and Pinion is the one holding the camera on her head. The avian symbiote's neck is as steady as an expensive gyroscope.

It pains both symbiote and host to stay in the shadows while Venom fights Riot alone. Frina sensed Pinion's memories: there are times when Venom is not a complete loser, and the current battle they witness is a glaring example of such times. But no matter how fiercely Venom and Eddie fought, Riot and Carlton were stronger.

Frina gritted her teeth, watching as Riot rips Venom and Eddie apart the way he tore Pinion from her. Eddie reached out to Venom and reunited with his symbiote. The opponents resumed fighting - symbiote versus symbiote, host versus host.

The camera could not zoom in much farther, but it looked like Riot has absorbed Venom into himself.

'Venom, Eddie - no.'

The one time Pinion almost dropped the camera was when the speakers at the launch area began ringing from some sort of feedback. Frina caught the device before it falls all the way to the metal floor and took the pain in her ears - as well as the pain felt by Pinion - with apathy.

'This will pass, Pinion. It'll be okay,' Frina sent the thought to her symbiote.

While Frina was focused on the task at hand, Pinion alerted her of what caused the speakers to go off: 'Someone is in a control room. They're aware they've been found, and they're coming out here... to watch the fight, too, apparently.'

'Maybe it's because they _were_ part of the fight, huh,' Frina mused.

She pressed the shutter release button to end the current segment. With Pinion as a long-necked waterbird on her back, Frina went to meet the intruder halfway.

“Hi - Annie, right? Could you do us a favor and record some good shots of Carlton being a host to Riot?” Frina asked the blond woman, handing her the digital camera.

“What - where are _you_ going?” Anne asked.

“Off to fetch a non-electronic loudspeaker.”

Ostrich legs pounded on the floor. Lab workers and other Life Foundation employees got out of the way of the strange being rushing through the corridors.

* * *

Back in Frina’s room, her flute is not on the table, but in Marsail’s hands.

“That’s ours,” Frina and Pinion told them.

Marsail’s eyes are looking at the floor, not at them.

“If you’re going to use this against Carlton, I won’t let you,” they said softly.

Frina kicked at a small runner she normally used to dry her feet on.

“I don’t have time for…” She faced Marsail again.

“Marsail, you have a good heart. You have strong devotion and loyalty where Carlton is concerned. But you must know what he is, what he’s got inside him. If he has his way, he’ll kill all of us to get what he wants.”

The nonbinary scientist finally looked up at girl and symbiote.

“Marsail… Carlton and Riot tried to kill me and Pinion.”

The scientist wiped an eye with the hem of their lab coat sleeve, and passed the flute to Frina.

“Just don’t kill him,” they said before finally letting Frina have the instrument.

“We’ll do what we can to keep that from happening,” Pinion promised Marsail.

“Thanks… friend.”

* * *

Riot took the fight to the base of the rocket Carlton arranged to launch. Despite the damage Pinion dealt to Riot much earlier at the labs, Venom wasn’t sure how much longer he could last in this fight.

‘But we have to,’ he thought. ‘To avenge…’

Riot’s muscular figure stampeded toward his crouched form.

Eddie had gotten ready to use that momentum against Riot, but a shrill high note hurt his ears, causing him and Venom to cover their heads.

‘But Riot smashed the speakers. What made that sound?’ he wondered.

Venom stayed with him, rolling them out of the way while Riot tumbled forward in his trajectory. He was separated from Carlton again, who must have gotten more than a scraped knee from that fall.

Riot arced his liquid self toward Carlton, but the high-pitched noise sounded again, louder this time, to the point that even Carlton shuts his ears.

Venom and Eddie looked at the source of the sound.

‘Son of a bitch,’ Eddie thought. Venom echoed that sentiment.

Frina placed her flute somewhere behind thick piping where it would be safe. Cassowary legs soon took her back to the fight.

“No,” Carlton gasped out. Riot joined back up with him in time, and they swatted Venom away.

Pinion caught Venom and helped him stand up.

“Where’ve you been?” Venom and Eddie asked.

“Busy accounting,” Pinion and Frina replied.

Riot regained his balance and regarded his opponents. The left side of his face melted away to reveal Carlton’s face.

“Well, well - it seems you’re not dead. Who could have betrayed me to save an ungrateful little wastrel, I wonder?” Carlton spoke.

This time Frina didn’t speak, though she kept her eyes on Carlton and Riot.

“Take’em apart, but don’t kill’em,” Pinion whispered to Venom.

“Aye, captain.”

“I’m not the captain, but she’s close.”

“Oh.”

Carlton smirked, and Riot takes over again.

“The leaders will dine on poultry when they land here,” the silver symbiote declared.

Under Pinion’s mask, Riot and Carlton cannot see Frina wrinkle her nose.

‘Obvious bait.’

‘True, but let’s give him what he wants anyway.’

Pinion let out a large bird’s battle shriek; she and Frina charged forward.

Riot caught Pinion in one hand and tried to rip her from her host again. Fortunately for the birds, they saw it coming and held on to Riot’s hand, rolling with his wild swinging motions.

“Not this time, punk,” Pinion and Frina spoke together.

Riot slammed the pair to the ground again, too angered to notice Venom creeping up behind him.

“How’s your grip strength?” the purple duo said vaguely.

Venom and Eddie pulled hard at Riot while Pinion and Frina reached in to pull Carlton out by the arm that he and Riot used to slam the birds around.

While Venom and Eddie wrestled with Riot, Pinion withdrew to cover Frina’s shoulders, arms, and forearms. Carlton wriggled out of Frina’s hands, but she dashed forward and took him down by his waist.

Carlton couldn’t shake her off, so he tried to punch her - and he couldn’t, as she is not within swinging range of his limbs.

Frina curled her left leg around Carlton’s left arm, twisted and held down his right hand with hers, and then hooked her left arm and forearm around the front of his neck. With her forehead, she leveraged Carlton’s head forward, threatening to cut off the blood flow to his brain.

“Well, isn’t this kinky,” Carlton remarked.

Frina snorted. “It’s MMA, or at least the kind I’ve watched on fictional shows,” she replied.

* * *

The tricky thing with restraining Riot was making sure he doesn’t escape through grates or elsewhere; then he can bond with another human host and make his way back to Carlton, or worse, take off to the symbiotes’ home system by himself. If he could survive that long, anyway.

Luckily for Venom and Eddie, they somehow heard Dora Skirth's voice saying “Over here!”

Venom tossed the blob that is Riot in that direction.

Riot splashed his way to the woman in the lab coat, intending to take her over - but he stopped a few meters away.

Something is wrong. She smelled familiar.

Before Riot could retreat, Skirth shot hairspray at Riot and lit a pocket lighter’s flame in the path of the spray, tossing inferno at the silver symbiote.

“Venom, get him in the tank,” Skirth ordered.

Venom’s bounds brought him there in a blink, and he shoved the weakened Riot into the portable glass enclosure. Skirth locked the opening with near-inhuman speed.

“Let’s cut it right here,” she said to a blond woman a distance away.

“Annie!” Eddie exclaimed with joy, allowing Venom to return into him and share the emotion. “Thanks for helping to fight ugly.”

Anne gave a smug smile, more for Venom to see than Eddie. She switched off the compact digital camera. Without a pocket, she only kept the device in her hand, secured by its cord looped around her wrist.

“Dr Skirth,” Eddie greeted.

She responded with a smile and a casual wave.

“You know you could’ve popped out sooner and let us know you’re okay. Where’ve you been? Doing accounts?” Eddie asked.

“Gathering evidence. Of course, I had to lie low and protect my family first,” Skirth explained. “Speaking of evidence, where’s Frina?”

“I believe she’s over there,” Anne pointed at the tangled limbs topped by a purple jay.

“If you struggle, we will squash you like bug,” Frina threatened in a mock Russian accent.

“I’ll be good, I promise,” Carlton rasped out, his voice thinned by the tightening arm against his carotid artery.

Frina loosened her grip a little, and Pinion pecked at Carlton’s head for good measure.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Anne told Frina.

“Put his hands together on his back,” Skirth said softly.

Frina moved her hands, first releasing Carlton’s neck and pulling his right hand to his lower back. Her left leg released the gripping weight on Carlton’s left arm, and she took that wrist down as well.

Skirth zip-tied Carlton’s wrists and tightened the loop. Together with Frina, she pulled him up to his feet.

Carlton stared at his once-missing employee, gazed at the transparent tank holding Riot, and made the connection.

"You bonded with Lasher," he stated, his dark eyes filled with accusation.

"D'you have duct tape or anything you can use to shut him up, Dr Skirth? This guy talks too much," Eddie remarked.

"Want me to put a sock in his mouth?" Frina volunteered.

"That won't be necessary. We can easily find duct tape around here," Skirth answered.

* * *

Frina went to retrieve her flute from the pipes before rejoining the group in a multi-purpose hall in the complex.

Skirth has called for an emergency meeting to be attended by all Life Foundation personnel, though first she thoughtfully passed some cash to let Eddie and Frina buy snacks and drinks from a nearby vending machine.

Anne, still holding the camera, continued to help Skirth record the meeting while the two battle-worn symbiote hosts snacked on potato chips and honey-roasted assorted nuts just outside the hall. But they stayed within range of Dr Skirth in case someone puts her in danger.

“You guys were awesome, going against Riot and Carlton by yourselves. That took guts,” Pinion told Venom and Eddie while Frina’s mouth is full.

“We are happy you survived,” Venom replied.

“Oh, that. Skirth and Lasher saved our lives. In fact, I’m sure they saved everyone on the planet,” Frina exclaimed.

“But we helped. That feels pretty good, too,” Eddie remarked.

Frina nodded with a smile. “We play our roles.”

They peeked from around one corner. Skirth’s speech aimed to appeal to the other employees’ conscience.

With Riot in his enclosure and Carlton gagged and bound, exposed to many eyes but unable to be together, the two are unmasked as the aspiring destroyers of Earth.

Eddie and Frina wiped oil from their hands, dusted the crumbs off their clothes, and returned to stand with Anne.

“What’s going to happen to Mr Drake?” a scientist - not Marsail - asked the question.

“Based on the evidence I sent to the FBI, they are going to claim custody of Drake and carry out judgment and sentencing from there.”

“You’ve incriminated the rest of us as well!” someone else spoke up.

Skirth turned to address them calmly.

“It’s true that we committed heinous atrocities under the direction of Carlton Drake. But whether you want to cover your asses or actually work to repair the damage we’ve done, that’s your decision to make.”

“Oof,” Eddie exclaimed softly.

Pinion clapped her wings soundlessly.

“Who’s going to direct us now?” Marsail asked this time.

Skirth glanced at the compatriots who helped her and Lasher bring Carlton Drake to justice.

“The Life Foundation will appoint an interim CEO until a new one gets appointed to the post. As for research activities - I hope you won’t mind if I take over and make some changes to how we do things around here.”

There were mixed responses from the employees.

Skirth drank water from her glass and went over to Anne, who ceased the recent recording.

“So who has the USB adapter for this camera?” Anne asked.

“I do. It’s in my room,” Frina replied.

“Nice work out there, Dr Skirth. And thanks for everything,” Eddie said. He and Frina shook hands with the new research director of the Life Foundation. “But where do we go from here?”

Skirth glanced at the camera and gazed back at Eddie.

“ _You_ piece together a special edition of the Brock Report. Annie and I will cover the legal end of exposing Drake, so you and Frina can cover the media end.”

Eddie’s jaw dropped.

Frina smiled. ‘That’s Lasher’s leadership, shining through Skirth,’ Pinion explained to her.

Eddie jumped and broke out of his shock when Anne slapped his back.

“Well, go and thank her, Eddie! You get to jump-start your journalism career with a bang,” she told him.

“This is incredible - thank you so much.”

The three older adults eyed the childlike one among them.

“Do you want to go back to Malaysia?” Skirth asked.

Frina’s eyes widened.

“Oh, hell no! I mean, ideally we expose the cops that Carl has hired to kill my family on command.” She sighed. “But as much as I love my family, I don’t like my home country very much. That room, the neighbors, the roads…”

She shook her head and looked at Skirth.

“If it’s alright, I would like to continue participating in human-symbiote tests. I’ve always wanted to sell my body to science.”

Skirth looked at Anne and Eddie, back at Frina, and nodded.

“That should be acceptable. The new Life Foundation should at least be seen as transparent after everything Drake has done. So we’ll reveal our breakthroughs as a result of collection of data from your contributions.”

“Yes!” Frina squeaked.

Eddie blinked. “What does that mean?” he asked.

“It means Frina will be living at the Life Foundation labs, and she’ll continue to make the Life Foundation rich - but in a more ethical way, alongside Dr Skirth,” Anne told him.

“Oh. That sounds great.”

“We’re the evidence trail,” Pinion announced.

Skirth placed a gentle hand on Frina’s shoulder.

“You’ll be allowed more freedom than when Drake was directing the experiments - if that’s what you want,” Skirth said.

“Oh, I want a lot of things, but I’ll settle with freedom, uncovering injustices -”

At that moment, Frina’s stomach growled, and Eddie’s did too, as if in response.

“- and some proper lunch. I’m starving!”

Anne chortled and ruffled Frina’s and Eddie’s hair.

Skirth tried to maintain a professional expression, but the smile reached her eyes.

“We’ll go arrange things with security first. Then we can leave for the time being,” she said.


	9. The Brock Report

Riot is stashed away in another layer of enclosure (with a long passcode that only Skirth knows), to be frozen in stasis until he is needed again.

Once Carlton is locked and guarded in his personal room at the Life Foundation Headquarters, Skirth drove Frina, Eddie and Anne to a hospital to pick up Anne’s current boyfriend Dan Lewis, whom Frina heard has helped Eddie out greatly.

Eddie offered the front passenger seat of the compact SUV to Frina so he would be able to talk privately with Anne in the back.

“Thanks for sticking by, Annie – thanks for saving us,” he said in a low voice.

“Well, I did tell Venom I can fight ugly,” Anne replied.

“You made your point,” Venom interjected.

“And helping the FBI build a case against Drake – thanks for that, too.”

Anne looked away, leaning back. “Don’t sweat it. I feel like there’s some poetic justice to this: you’re getting revenge on Drake, I’m riding on the payback –” she paused, glancing toward the front, “– and considering what he’s done to Frina and Pinion, what he could’ve done to Skirth and her family… this is the right thing to do.”

When she looked at Eddie again, she found him giving her sidelong looks.

“Hey, um… d’you wanna talk about that kiss?”

“Oh, that?” She looked away and paused. “That was your buddy’s idea.”

Inside Eddie, Venom rumbled with glee.

While the two chatted, Frina and Pinion took a good look at San Francisco proper. Skirth also occasionally played tour guide as she drove.

When Dan joined Anne and Eddie in the back seat, the air became tense and awkward. So on the drive to Embarcadero Center, Anne made the introductions between Dan and Frina.

“Dan, this is Frina. She has a condition similar to Eddie’s, but she has had it for longer.”

“Oh. Hi,” Dan greeted.

Frina twisted a little to talk to the surgeon more easily.

“Before you call my or Eddie’s slimes the P-word, I’d suggest that you instead use the word ‘epiphyte’ to refer to’em,” she whispered.

“‘Epiphyte’ is for plants. ‘Epibiont’ is the correct descriptor for fauna,” Frina’s purple bird corrected.

“Well, that’s a… very literate epibiont,” Dan remarked.

“Nerds,” Venom interjected.

Pinion blew a raspberry at him.

* * *

The food court at Embarcadero Center caters to many tastes. Anne and Dan went for a healthy Western fare while Skirth took a lamb kebab set. Eddie and Venom got the largest and least-cooked cheeseburger the place can offer. Frina and Pinion were spoiled for choices, but they decided on chicken tandoori, curried green peas, and one serving each of garlic naan and puri.

“Your food looks good,” Skirth told Frina.

“Yours, too. The kebab was my second choice,” she replied.

Skirth proceeded to eat like a normal person - like Anne and Dan - but Eddie attacked his burger and fries, and Frina appears to be inhaling her spicy meal in slow motion.

After the plates are cleared, the five humans went to a cafe for after-meal drinks. That’s where they can chat as well, now that they won’t risk staring down half-chewed meat in a symbiote host’s open mouth.

“Hey Frina – there’s something I wanted to get off my chest,” Eddie said after a conversation about music genres tapered off.

“What is it?” Frina asked him.

“So Pinion is a bird, right? And she’s part of you… and then you ate chicken.” Eddie blinked at Frina. “Isn’t that cannibalism?”

“Big birds eat smaller birds all the time in nature. Where do you think sparrowhawks get their name?” Skirth pointed out.

“Plus, Pinion is not _really_ a bird, even though she prefers taking the shape of one. So technically, she is not a cannibal unless she eats other symbiotes,” Frina explained patiently.

“Which I don’t,” whispered a finch’s purple head from the back of Frina’s hand.

“Eddie, you’re so fucking stupid!” a disembodied mouth exclaimed before it retreated under Eddie’s neck.

* * *

It is fitting for an overall strange day to end with an equally strange night.

Skirth drove them back to the Life Foundation headquarters, and then Frina passed the adapter for her camera to Anne. The footage was backed up on a cloud drive and several different computers. Skirth lends Eddie a Life Foundation laptop so he can work on the special Brock Report video.

As great as it was to be in the company of good peers, Eddie felt he’s had enough of the Life Foundation for a few days, and he would feel better if he can patch together the report when he’s not physically in the organisation’s premises.

So Anne brought him and Dan back to her place – laptop, camera, and adapter in tow. Eddie worked in the living room. Sometimes Mr Belvedere dropped by, but had the sense to stay away when Venom’s attention snapped to his floofy tiny self.

After everything that has happened in the past few days, the work is mentally tiring. Still, that did not stop Eddie’s old deadline-meeting habits from taking over.

He is in focus mode.

The work kept him up well past midnight. He took breaks every now and then, mostly because Dan insisted on conducting routine medical check-ups to make sure that he’s okay, that the symbiote is not eating him alive like it used to. Besides that, he and Anne provided Eddie with snacks and coffee while he sat for hours on the three-seater living room sofa.

Sometime between two and three in the morning, Eddie straightened his posture and stretched his arms upward. He gave the finished video clip one last proper viewing, and then he backed it up on the cloud, emailing its link to Dr Skirth so she knows it’s there. If she is satisfied with the results, she will let him know, one way or the other.

“We should rest, Eddie.”

He smiled and reached up to stroke Venom’s head.

“Now we can,” he agreed.

He closed the lid of the laptop and lay down on the sofa in Anne’s living room. He roughly threw the spare blanket over himself, but Venom adjusted the edges to tuck him in. Closing his eyes, Eddie breathed deep and slow.

“Hey Venom,” Eddie said softly, “this morning when I met Frina and Pinion… they wish for us to be happy together.”

“We are together now, Eddie.”

He can feel the outpouring of love from the symbiote within him. He welcomed a firm hand holding his palm and fingers as he drifts off to sleep.

“Yeah… I think we can be very happy together.”

* * *

The local and international media circuits awoke next morning, to the official story of the downfall of Carlton Drake. First told through a special edition of the Brock Report uploaded on numerous video hosting sites, and then through the channels’ own interviews with Life Foundation scientists and attorneys.

Before noon, tens of hundreds of cameras - professional and amateur - followed Carlton Drake’s walk of shame, from the Life Foundation front gates to the FBI van that will transport him to a federal holding prison.

While some members of the media went to follow the procession, more stayed to hear and witness a press release given by Dr Dora Skirth, the Life Foundation’s new research director. By her side is Frina, a new flute in hand and her purple crow on her shoulder.

Knowing the gist of the story about symbiotes now, one reporter asked what happened to Riot. Skirth and Frina gave no comment on Riot’s condition now, only that he is secure.

More than a handful of reporters also asked about the black symbiote that caused massive destruction in San Francisco a few nights ago. In the Brock Report video, that symbiote has been identified as Venom, and, purportedly, the public wants to know if he will pose an ongoing problem to the city.

“Y’all wanna profile him ’cause he’s black?” Pinion immediately responded.

Frina proceeded to explain that Venom’s host is a good person, and if the symbiote was being violent, it had to be in response to something else that is causing him (and his host) harm.

“How would you know this?”

“Venom is Pinion’s big brother. He looks out for her more than my own older brother ever did for me,” Frina answered.

She and Pinion withdrew from the press conference while Skirth answers questions related to the Life Foundation’s next direction. Treece and his men – more interested in keeping their jobs than they are loyal to Carlton – escorted the publicly-known host and symbiote back into the Life Foundation complex.


	10. Nice Lives

Carlton’s trial is to take place less than a month after his arrest. While in federal custody, he made no connections, spoke a little. The things the other men tell him, these common criminals… despite his wealth and reputation, he still winds up here. He is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, not his fancy shirt and expensive blazer; it's one of the many signs reminding him he’s no better than the rest of them. They were right, though it took him a while to accept what happened to him.

Riot is gone, and Carlton doesn’t know whether the symbiote is still alive.

He felt a spark of hope when the prison guards informed him that he has visitors. The warden himself oversaw his transportation to the special-purpose private visitation room.

His wrists and ankles were cuffed and chained. After the guards locked him down to the table, Carlton’s fingers curled up to form fists in his hands at the sight of two familiar, vaguely-feminine visitors.

Frina and Marsail sat in the foldable metal chairs - furniture that was probably manufactured at some other prison.

Carlton grinned across the table at them.

“Marsail Beliveau. I heard Frina branded you a Betrayer at one point,” he exclaimed.

Marsail looked away, tears in their eyes.

Frina shot Carlton a bitter look. “Don’t talk to them like that. Marsail was the one who asked Pinion and I not to kill you,” she pointed out.

Carlton unclenched his fists and leaned back in his seat.

“It’s not like you _were_ going to kill me. I mean, you’d kill Riot, maybe, but not me.”

He tried to ignore the feeling of loss he felt when he spoke Riot’s name. He smiled and nodded once at Frina. “You miss me, don’t you?”

The guards snapped to attention when Pinion’s goose head snaked from Frina’s left shoulder. In reaction to Carlton’s words, Frina rolled her eyes and looked at Pinion, her hands gesturing at the jumpsuit-wearing man in the manner of ‘Can you believe this guy?’.

The goose-head laughed for a second, and retreated back into Frina. The small woman placed her forearms on the table and faced Carlton again.

“You know what - you are handsome,” she spoke, “but you’re still a douchebag, Carl. You’re no different from the guys I embarrassingly used to crush on.”

Marsail nudged at Frina’s right shoulder.

The small woman paused and breathed; the next time she meets Carlton’s eyes, she drops the memelord facade.

“You’re a horrible person, but that won’t stop me from thanking you.”

“For what?”

“For taking me away from my country.”

Carlton narrowed his eyes at her. “So you _did_ hate your family. Then, back in the Malaysian office… was that just an act?” he asked.

Frina shrugged.

“I never said I hated them.” She glanced at Marsail. “I just don’t love or miss them as much as the few people who actually cared about me. Teachers, doctors, my best friend who lives in Thailand - they were my true support system.”

Marsail slid a gift-wrapped box toward Carlton. It had been opened once, probably by guards who were checking what it contained.

Carlton reached inside and, at a touch, realized what it is: a toy microscope.

“I personally don’t know what led you down the path of illegal human experimentation and the desire to have symbiotes invade and consume Earth. But my hypothesis is that you don’t have a healthy support system while you were growing up.”

Carlton barked out a rueful laugh.

“Do you think talking to me about my past and my feelings is going to make me into a better person?”

He glared daggers at Frina.

“Get out. You’re not my shrink.”

The young woman remained where she is, her right hand lowered to her side… or to hold Marsail’s hand under the table.

“Must be an ordeal, playing the role of a saint, a prophet, or maybe even a god. My brothers worshipped you. You were Marsail’s inspiration; they were so devoted, to the point that they’re willing to stop me from hurting you. You had a grand vision of yourself, but in the end, you’re still human.”

“Are you quite finished?”

Frina blinked, at the same time raising her eyebrows.

“I’m tired of hearing about you. Personally, I couldn’t give a shit what happens to you. But Marsail is my friend, and they care a lot about you.”

She glanced at the half-open present box and gave him a warning look.

“You don’t deserve Marsail. But they want you to have a healthy support system. They don’t want you to suffer in loneliness for the rest of your life. If I were you, I’d accept the loving hand that reaches out to me.”

Marsail nodded at Frina’s words.

Carlton touched the inside of the box again, and passed the item to one guard.

“Carry that to my cell when we’re done,” he asked of the guard. The uniformed man nodded.

Seemingly satisfied, Frina stood up and rearranged the foldable chair.

Marsail leveled a soft look of concern at him. “Take care, sir,” they said.

“Oh hey Frina, the message,” Pinion reminded her host.

“Right.” Frina turned to face Carlton again.

“What message?” he asked.

“Eddie and Venom wanted us to pass it to you: ‘Have a nice life’,” Frina said.

* * *

Dora Skirth hired contractors to fix up Eddie’s apartment building. When they were finished with the job, a small figure wearing a bright blue hoodie turned up at his apartment room door.

“Beaky!” Venom greeted.

“Venom, Eddie - glad we caught you at home,” Frina said.

“Oh, hi,” Eddie responded. His eyes darted over his shoulder; he is hesitant about letting a woman see his apartment the way it is.

Frina frowned. “Is it a bad time?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just - sorry about the mess.”

He allowed Frina through the door frame. She took a cursory overall look at his dwelling.

“Believe it or not, my old room in Malaysia smelled worse than this. But my mom’s drilled-in compulsion is screaming at me to clean this place - if you’d allow me to, that is,” she stated.

“Oh, I don’t mind at all if you really want to do it - but we’re out of groceries. Tell you what, we’ll treat you and Pinion to dinner tonight,” Eddie replied.

Frina gave a little birb jump of eagerness.

“Cool! Let’s go.”

Happiness practically radiated between Eddie and Frina’s hoodies. The symbiotes love this new life they share.

As the hosts travel down the sidewalk, Eddie noticed the looks he was getting. Recognition, fascination, awe and admiration.

Frina kept her hood up so that other members of the media won’t stop her on the street. It was only when she and Eddie entered a bodega that she lowered her hood, much like a fantasy character entering a tavern.

“Hey Mrs C,” Eddie greeted.

“Eddie! You’re a bigshot reporter again, huh?” Mrs Chen said in response. Her eyes twinkled when she saw Frina standing close to Eddie. “Who’s your new friend?”

“I’m Frina. I don’t know how to speak in any Chinese dialect because I grew up in a banana family,” Frina introduced herself, waving awkwardly when she finds herself and Eddie beneath Mrs Chen’s scrutiny.

“She is, um…” Eddie paused, glancing at the small woman; her neck is tucked in between her shoulders. She showed a picture of a bittern to him once, and that’s what she currently looks like.

“She’s a musician. She plays the flute.”

Frina birb-nodded at that. “Let’s go get on them groceries,” she said softly to Eddie.

“Make sure Eddie doesn’t get into more trouble in the future,” Mrs Chen called after Frina.

Eddie turned away with a wave, though a smile showed on his face, especially when Frina momentarily bent over in laughter.

* * *

“Tell me something: how did you and Pinion manage to stick together when you played those loud high-notes on your flute?” Eddie asked Frina while they peruse the spice shelves.

“Pinion is now accustomed to ‘preferred noise’. Plus, even if it’s a painful blow, she saw it coming and was fully prepared for it,” Frina replied.

“Preferred noise?” Eddie repeated.

“Pinion is a masochist,” Venom spoke up.

“Oh, shush you,” Pinion retorted, but she stopped the banter right there.

Soon, the four of them could sense a tension at the cashier counter. There’s a robber talking to Mrs Chen, pointing a gun at her.

“Your payment is due, Chen.”

“Please – I can’t keep doing this.”

“Now!”

“Bad guy, right?” Venom whispered to Eddie.

“Yup.”

Frina held on to Eddie’s basket filled with tater tots and chocolate; her own basket has other varieties of food she hoped Eddie can cook for himself. Pinion watches through her host’s eyes as Venom and Eddie confront the robber.

This is the difference between Venom and Riot. Back on the rendezvous point, Riot intimidated Lasher because he demanded respect for himself. Here, Venom is intimidating someone who threatened an innocent shopkeeper for her money.

‘Venom and Eddie demand justice,’ Frina observed.

‘And something to eat, on Venom’s part,’ Pinion added.

Watching Venom bite the robber’s head off, Frina sensed pride and joy emanating from Pinion. Outwardly, she smiled as well.

Venom is one hell of a big brother.

When the black symbiote recedes back into his host, Frina walked up with her and Eddie’s baskets, and put them on the counter.

“Eddie? What was that?” Mrs Chen asked.

‘She’s not as terrified as she probably should be. But after all she’s seen prior to today, I don’t think she should be,’ Pinion mused.

“Oh. I have a parasite,” Eddie explained, helping to pack the groceries in bags after Mrs Chen keys in the prices.

Frina used a small proportion of her allowance (given to her by the Life Foundation) to help Eddie pay for the groceries. The older Asian woman gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled and shrugged as she received the change.

“Good evening, Mrs Chen,” Eddie greets as he and Frina leave the store.

“PARASITE?” Venom and Pinion shrieked as the hosts stroll down the sidewalk with bags of ingredients and packaged food in arms.

“Yeah, it’s a term of endearment, that’s all.”

“Apologize!” Venom shouted.

“No.”

“Frina, make him apologize,” Pinion told her host.

“Hey, I’m not a part of this. You’re my epibiont,” Frina said, dissociating herself from Eddie’s position.

Eddie chuckled. “Alright, fine. I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a work that I wrote and completed after only one viewing of Venom, and belatedly I realise I missed the six-month gap.  
> Then again, my main reason for writing this is to have an ending where Dora and her blue symbiote are alive, and in this case they saved the day (though they are minor characters). Of course, the other reason is to incorporate a bird-symbiote (and author stand-in) to be part of the action, maybe explore how symbiotes interact with each other.  
> Let me know if you want any follow-up or spin-off fics involving Lasher, Venom, Pinion, and their hosts.


End file.
